You Will Raise Me Up

Good Monday morning! That drought thing seems to be coming back for a return visit out here; we may want to give it some prayer for the sake of farmers and ourselves.

Down, the world wants to get us down even as it claims to give opportunity to rise up. If you are not too much of something, then you are not enough of this other thing. If you don't have enough of something, then you have too much something else. The successful person becomes greedy in a different context. The awards go to those already lauded in the media. Even when we appear to win in this world, something is wrong by another standard. Look around at the world and despair. That one over there earns more than you do. That other couple seems to have the marriage thing all figured out. The fellow seems more happy than you can ever imagine being. This woman was just born beautiful; how can you ever compete with her? On and on it goes, down and down we fall in the eyes of the ungraspable standard. Well...the 'you' in the title must not be the world or its powers.

We live in the age of the paragon. This person is not only photogenic, but speaks several languages, dances, sings, has a hit TV show, acted in the big movies, has a famous husband/wife, gives large amounts to charities, and even their dogs are champions. If you went to his/her house the cats would speak their owner's name in reverence; and if you own cats you just know that doesn't happen to normal folks. Well, we cannot compete with the paragons of this world, but Jesus has overcome the world.

The celebrated persons of the world are expected to give themselves up to the world. Jesus noted that when He said, "To whom much is given, much will be expected." Then Jesus gave up Himself for the world. What happened then? Very few believed in Him. The world turned immediately to seek out its next sacrificial victim. One of the rulers of Rome may have fallen next, for the world is ravenous and does not respect those whom it devours. How do we survive at all in this place of carnage? We turn to the One who will raise us up.

Up is where we must go. We look up to Jesus to be saved. We look up to Heaven for our future home. We look up to God for eternity. We pray up to God for strength to go on. We sing praises up to God on His heavenly throne. We remember that up is the direction of the Rapture. We recall in prayer that God raises me and you up to a higher calling. No matter how far down I may be at this moment in circumstances, I look up and give God the glory, "You will raise me up!"

Enjoy this week in Christ,
Bucky