August 07
Avoiding the Rubble
Things are not going well.… They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall … has been torn down.
Nehemiah 1:3 (NLT)
For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe.
Psalm 18:31-32 (NLT)
For some, life is a rubble.
Recently, a famous Christian actor and film producer was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving and reportedly launched into an anti-Semitic tirade. The world-wide attention damaged his reputation, cost him financially, and shamed him greatly. His life is in a rubble.
Likewise, I recently read of a Christian who shocked his community by robbing a bank. Before he went to prison, people learned he had a secret gambling problem and was desperate to pay for his habit. Now, life for him is in the rubble.
The stories go on and on. I hate top say this, but last year, authorities imprisoned a man from our church. Convicted of molesting children in a home, his life will never be the same. He lives … in the rubble.
All three of these Christian men are suffering because of one thing: they failed to abide in Christ (see John 15). Jesus said He was the Door and we enter the kingdom through Him. He said He was the Good Shepherd, and, as His sheep, we follow Him—and not our own course. He also said He was the vine, and we are the branches and as long as we abide in Him, we have His life.
These are all good comparisons, however, He is also a wall—a fortress in time of need and temptation. He is there as we abide in Him and His words live in us—then we bear good fruit. But if we don’t abide … His wall is not there to protect us as it once did. Instead, our most valued relationship collapses and life as we know it tumbles down in a heap until we live in the rubble.
So, learn from the Word, and learn from others’ mistakes: keep the wall secure—abide in Him!
Father, we can do nothing by ourselves but fail. Live in us. Bring Your beautiful life to our souls. Amen.
Avoiding the Rubble
Things are not going well.… They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall … has been torn down.
Nehemiah 1:3 (NLT)
For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength; he has made my way safe.
Psalm 18:31-32 (NLT)
For some, life is a rubble.
Recently, a famous Christian actor and film producer was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving and reportedly launched into an anti-Semitic tirade. The world-wide attention damaged his reputation, cost him financially, and shamed him greatly. His life is in a rubble.
Likewise, I recently read of a Christian who shocked his community by robbing a bank. Before he went to prison, people learned he had a secret gambling problem and was desperate to pay for his habit. Now, life for him is in the rubble.
The stories go on and on. I hate top say this, but last year, authorities imprisoned a man from our church. Convicted of molesting children in a home, his life will never be the same. He lives … in the rubble.
All three of these Christian men are suffering because of one thing: they failed to abide in Christ (see John 15). Jesus said He was the Door and we enter the kingdom through Him. He said He was the Good Shepherd, and, as His sheep, we follow Him—and not our own course. He also said He was the vine, and we are the branches and as long as we abide in Him, we have His life.
These are all good comparisons, however, He is also a wall—a fortress in time of need and temptation. He is there as we abide in Him and His words live in us—then we bear good fruit. But if we don’t abide … His wall is not there to protect us as it once did. Instead, our most valued relationship collapses and life as we know it tumbles down in a heap until we live in the rubble.
So, learn from the Word, and learn from others’ mistakes: keep the wall secure—abide in Him!
Father, we can do nothing by ourselves but fail. Live in us. Bring Your beautiful life to our souls. Amen.
posted by Craig Soderquist at 9:14 AM
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