Good Monday morning! We have that one degree thing going again this morning, and a winter storm watch for tonight. The cold weather fun never stops in December! I hear we can blame all this on a low pressure system sitting over Hudson's Bay. Perhaps it needed a break and decided to have a little vacation up there? We haven't set any records that I know of, but whoee, has it been a cold one for a while. I will admit that it takes some of the fresh-air fun out of hunting when you sit in a pickup cab running the heater because it's too cold to sit outside.
What to write about this morning? Certainly it's much easier to be grateful for a warm house with a cup of hot coffee on a morning like this, but even a pagan might send up a thank you to God under these circumstances. What would set us apart from the world then? Going to work? Nope, even the worldly folks will go out because they must to keep their jobs. Would we be more likely to get out and help someone on a day such as this? Maybe, but that isn't what sets us apart. Of course, we know that we are set apart because of what Jesus has done, not from what we do or might do. We also are not saved by a set of circumstances or weather. Our example should be obvious to all in spite of the weather, but that goes for nice days too.
You can probably name an instance of when you did a good deed in the cold, and just as easily recall one where you failed to do the right thing on a perfectly nice day. I often blamed the pressures, and let's admit it, stress, from my former workplace for failing to do the right thing at times. That pressure and stress is a thing of the past, but does that mean I always do the right thing now? No, I realize that you may still be looking for the perfect devotional writer or minister in this life, but I ain't him. We will just have to stick with our current pastors, writers, singers, and even train conductors; 'cuz we ain't perfect. We have one perfect example, and to be on the subtle side, ain't none of us measured up to Him! I'm using 'ain't' so much today to show how imperfect I am, as though you needed another example of that! :-)
We have an entire Bible full of what it takes to meet God's holy standard. I think God gave us this to appreciate Jesus that much more. We struggle and struggle to meet that standard; some even try to save themselves by it. All of us fail to meet it. We give our lives to Christ to be saved, and then we try to meet the standard to please God. What a difference though! Trying to meet the standard without guilt, knowing that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, gives us a source of strength to turn to when trying to meet that glorious standard. Perfection is a long way off for me, and you most likely would say the same of yourself. Praise God that Jesus already paid the penalty that we cannot pay, and met the standard that we cannot meet!
Have a wonderful, merry Christmas in Christ!
Bucky
No comments:
Post a Comment