Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Getting Jesus - December 10, 2008

Good Wednesday morning! I read a novel once where a character was described as "she got Jesus in a big way..." At that time I knew what the author meant. To the secular person someone getting Jesus in a big way meant that they had become a conversational bore and a huge pain in the neck. Now that I am on the other side of that double-edged sword, I have to wonder; is there any other way to "get" Jesus? I don't think that it is possible to get Jesus in a small way. Another author once commented that people seem to want the very things that are the worst for them to have. When a Christian witnesses to another person, there will be resistance. We are offering that which is best for someone to have, a life in Christ, but the flesh resists that which is good for us. That same resistance is felt in addictions, sometimes to great pain and discomfort as in the case of chemical addictions. Jesus reminded us that he has overcome the world. All the curses we feel in this world, lusts of the flesh, illnesses, addictions, and any other part of the curse Adam's disobedience brought up on us has been conquered by Jesus. Testing and trials will come to us, but we can rest in the assurance of our Lord and Savior.

Who has authority in this world? Some persons and principalities think that they do, but who is really in charge? The other day the History Channel showed a series on the Wehrmacht, the German army in World War II. In the episode I watched, the initial blitzkrieg had trapped the British Expeditionary force in an area known as Dunkirk, spelled Dunkerque on the sign if I recall correctly. Do you suppose a few prayers might have been going up to heaven from that trapped army? What historians found is that Hitler had a bully contest with his generals. The army had already exceeded its orders in how far it had advanced. Hitler ordered it to stop, the generals wanted to destroy the British force. Hitler won the biggest bully contest and what we know as the Miracle at Dunkirk came to pass as ships, yachts, and boats of every size and purpose rescued hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers from certain death or capture. Whatever the cause of the Wehrmacht's delay, the rescued troops would later play a significant role in the remainder of the war. Looking back on history, we can often see the hand of God in events and decisions made by people. You and I can see this in our own lives as well. What we do may not go down in history as a major event affecting thousands and millions of people, but someone will be affected by our life here on earth. Do we need to worry about our effect on history? I think not, our Lord's life on earth affected everyone... whether they will admit it or not! :-)

God bless you and have a merry Christmas!

Bucky

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