Admit One

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

– Philippians 3:20 & 21

A few years back, when my boys were still in high school, we decided to go to a Sunday afternoon movie. We left church, grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the theatre. Even with two working seventeen year-old sons, I was still roped into buying the tickets. Pulling the cash from my billfold and passing it through the glass slot at the ticket booth, the attendant slipped three passes through the opening. My disabled son snatched his ticket and stuffed it into his pants pocket.

“Son, hang on to that ticket in your hand. I don’t want you to accidently pull your hand out of your pocket and lose your pass.” He grinned and pulled the ticket from his pocket squeezing it into his palm. We paced in front of a few stores, passing time before the movie. When the satin ropes were untied from the entrance we took our place in line.

Twice my son flashed his crumpled ticket for me to see. He stepped to the usher and he proudly unfolded his fingers to redeem his pass. To our surprise his palm was empty. Both boys began to frantically scan the floor. Only moments prior, he’d had the slip of paper. Thanks to the kindness of the woman behind the counter, she allowed us to enter since she had sold us the ticket.

I couldn’t help but think about our earthly efforts to secure our way through heaven’s gates. We accept Christ into our hearts, we’re baptized, and we earn our citizenship into heaven, or at least we think we do. We grasp tightly to the thought that we’ve somehow gotten an “admit one” ticket to heaven. In the beginning we clasp the pass in our palm occasionally flashing it for the world to see that we are “Christians.” We pull out our Christianity when it’s convenient to us, never considering that we may lose the golden pass. We take for granted we’ll slip through effortlessly.

However, what happens if we get to the door, open our fingers and find our ticket is lost – our citizenship denied? Scurrying to find it suddenly becomes meaningless. We have to make the effort to care for and manage our way into heaven. There is no free ride and we have to do our share to be the best we can be and do what God asks. Be prepared. Then should our ticket slip through our fingers we can look at the one who purchased it in the beginning –the one who paid the price in full and seek his loving mercy and forgiveness. Like the woman behind the booth, God will remember He sold us a ticket if we are repentant.

Hold on to the pass. Make the efforts to be what God wants. The reward is amazing.

Finding God in the Stillness

The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. – Lamentations 3:25-26

This morning I walked into the sunrise. The air was so cold it froze my breath into a fog that shattered, falling to the ground like a broken bottle. I grasped hold of my turtleneck with my fingers and heaved it securely over my mouth and nose, shrugging my shoulders and pulling my arms tight against my chest, I peered over my knuckles. I held the collar tight with my hands and breathed a long, deep puff of air into my shirt. There was that fog again.

The sky lay streaked with lines of angry clouds, dark and dingy –like the tinge of gray that happens when the whites are washed with the jeans. A purple glow fell just beyond the angry sky. The mountain stretched past that, reaching majestically toward the heavens and just to the right, was the edge of sunrise.

I’d never considered the edge of sunrise before – never questioned what it held or why it was. I’d only enjoyed its beauty, only taken in what peace I could gather from its existence.
How often have I stood and took in the sun and all its aspects? Hundreds of times. Sunrise, sunset, mid-day sun, afternoon sun – yet I’d never considered the possibility of waiting quietly for its message. So often we view the beauty the Father has placed before us but we never
wait to see what message it holds. God speaks to us in many ways yet we rarely have our eyes or ears tuned into what may be blatantly strewn before us.

Learning to wait on God is hard. I find myself giggling my foot or tapping my toes impatiently against the hardwood floor, encouraging the passing of time. When I really want to seek after Him, and find Him I need to look into the quiet and stillness. That’s where God is. That’s where He waits to share encouragement, hope, and love for me. The quiet is where He speaks in that still soft voice and where I can hear it echo clearly through my heart. The key is cocking my head ever so slightly to the side, squinting my eyes, then holding my breath. All I hear is the pulsing of my heart. Then suddenly as clear as a bell, His voice comes through.

“I wondered when you’d come. Enjoy the sunrise?”

“Yes, it’s amazing how the purple tint pushes away the anger of the darkness.”

“Nice, you caught that. I’m pleased.” The Father said as He rubbed his fingers across His chin.

“Oh, and I saw this side of the sunrise and I wondered who stood on the other side. And if they could see what I saw?”

“Interesting concept. Anything else notable that you saw?”

“I noticed my skin carried the reflection of the purple sky – that same glow.”

“Nice. That was me warming you from within.”

“More so, I felt what it was like to wait for You, Father. To anticipate Your presence. And the wait was the most fulfilling wait I’ve ever had.”

“Then you found me in the stillness of the sunrise. Good job. I am always in the stillness. Just learn to wait and listen. You will hear me.”

What a wonderful promise to know that in stillness of the sunrise, the Father waits to wrap us tight in His presence. He loves to spend time with His children. This is where He teaches us, disciplines us, rebukes us, and loves us. Seek him in the stillness and find that He is wonderfully good.

Doubts, Doubts, Doubts

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith, he said, “Why did you doubt?” – Matthew 14:31

Humans fall under the category of one of the weakest species under the sun. Why, you ask? Because, we can “reason.” Within the animal kingdom, the fight for survival is one of the strongest desires there is. The lion either hunts or it starves. Therefore, it hunts. There is no questioning to do. It is instinct for them to feel hunger and then quench the desire.

Humans, on the other hand, have the ability to reason. We ponder and think, wonder and question any needs we have. We can believe or we can doubt, and this is where we get into trouble. Our intentions start out good. We being by carrying a certain amount of confidence into a situation convinced we can be successful. Perhaps we even launch into a project feet first, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, when suddenly – we choose to doubt. Before we realize what has happened, we’ve begun to sink. Our faith and belief in what we were doing is gone. One would think our ability would make us strong. Rightfully so, it should. However, we allow our reasoning to set us up for failure.

Peter’s desire to walk to the Master on water was so great, he overcame his fear and doubt that walking on water was physically impossible. He trusted Jesus to provide and care for him. First one foot over the edge of the boat and then a second, allowing him to walk, eyes fixed on the target, toward Jesus. Only when he allowed himself to reason through the miracle he was experiencing, did he allow weakness and doubt to enter. Hence, he began to sink.

The power of Christ in our lives gives us the ability to overcome doubt and fear. When we turn our reasoning power from logical to Godly, then our spiritual success is definite. We allow ourselves to think we know more than the Father. “I can’t do that because” tends to be our answer to most of life’s challenges. Our desire to be spiritually successful falls to reasoning and doubt.

Jesus asks us to fix our eyes on Him, not to reason but to trust, and then to step upon the water and walk. Walking toward Him without question or reservation, believing He will bring us into His arms. Do you reason your way out of trust or do you fix your eyes on the Father and walk on water? Perhaps today is the day to start.

Prayer: Lord, when we fear and doubt, help us to fix our eyes on You.