October 8: Tuesday Refocus

‘I have trusted Thee and Thou hast not betrayed my trust; waited for Thee, and not waited in vain.’ – The Valley of Vision

I have trusted myself and been disappointed.

I have trusted others and been crushed.

I have trusted the Lord and never been forsaken.

‘And those who know Your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.’  Ps 9:10

I have waited for perfect timing and been inactive.

I have waited for everything to fall in place and been passed by.

I have waited on the Lord and grown strong and courageous.

‘Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!’ Ps 27:14

Lord, we trust and wait.  Not passive, not flippant, intentionally we pursue You as the One who has proven Himself trustworthy.  The One who is with us in our waiting.  We await eagerly for You, Your name and Your renown are the desires of our heart.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Trusting + waiting,

AB

August 13: Tuesday Refocus

Love asks for a total disarmament. – Henri Nouwen

Our God always goes first.  He commands us to love our enemies (Matt 5:44).  And He has first loved us (1 Jn 4:19) – once enemies now heirs (Rom 5:10).

Christ has disarmed himself of glory, and in so doing God has disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in the open arms of Christ (Phil 2:7, Col 2:15).

Open arms are a symbol of disarmament.  

And this is the way Christ lived and died.

Open arms to receive from His Father (Lk 22:42).

Open arms to suffer and die at the hands of those He came to save (Lk 19:10).

Like all things in this upside down kingdom, open-armed enemy love feels like death but is actually life. 

Life in Christ is first death to self.  

It carries a cross.

It seeks the disarmament of my agenda for the good of the other, and the glory of God.

But we are never left to walk alone, Christ has gone first.

God, thank You, that You always going first.  Thank You that You loved us while we were Your enemies.  Give us the mind of Christ.  Embolden us with His obedience.  Enable us to love our enemies with open arms.  In Christ’s name, amen.

Learning to love,

AB