Two Extremes

Texts:
- Psalms 97-100
- Luke 13-14
- Matthew 2, Luke 2:39-52

Lord God, I have so many things on my mind, all the time. It becomes tough to pull out one hour in the morning to focus them on You. Help me to do that this morning, to take some silent time and really hone in on Your voice and Your call. What are You saying to me?

The Scriptures that I read today dealt with praising You for You are set above the nations, high and mighty and working salvation with Your strong hand. Then I turn to Matthew and Your earthly parents were wrapping You up tight and fleeing to Egypt because Herod was literally going to kill You. Such might and awe and wonder to such fear and weakness and avoidance. God the unchangable, but certainly You always exist in ways that don't make much sense.

Of course, isn't my life really like that? Lived in two extremes? There are all the things that I know and want to do for You, for my wife, my friends, myself, etc. Then there are all the desires for detrimental or inconsequential things. I sit at my computer and write my blog, rolling around ideas of salvation and awe and wonder, then click over to my email, see the woman on the sidebar advertisement and suddenly become a person in fear, weakness, and avoidance. Strength to weakness in a matter of moments.

The shocking thing I think is that You don't change this process. Being right with You doesn't mean I will live in perpetual strength. In fact, it guarantees that I'll go through lengthy times of weakness, where You show Your strength in my life by being the only thing I can rely on. I think that is a mis-taught point in many Christian congregations today. When God's strength comes into my life, it does not in any way mean that I will be strong all the time. It just means that I will now have companionship and the hope of deliverance when I am invetibly weak.

Lord God, may You ever shorten my moments of weakness and ever strengthen my ability to run. May You stand between the two extremes for my and guide my transition, keep me humble in times of strength and hopeful in times of weakness. Blessed are You, Lord God of mighty hand and humble cross, for You walked the life of humanity, were exalted and were beaten down. May my lips ever praise You Jesus, for walking through it all so You can walk through it with us. Amen.