Wisdom For Living

I heard a great piece of wisdom recently. This wise lady said of her journey "Believe and stand on the promises BUT live for the presence". I love it! She is so right. There is much we are asked to consider, to believe and to act upon in the scriptures. It will take our entire lives of focus and dedication to feel we are attaining to any amount of it.

Consider the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. At first reading, it sounds thrilling to go after, a target so big and wonderful that we all want what Jesus is saying is for us. Yet, most usually also agree that it must be metaphorical and surely not something we can attain to in this world. It can't be for us? Right? For many, the journey into the Sermon stops right there.

For others, they believe it is for this time but quickly realize that NOBODY can truly live like this. That sense of failure and weakness comes with force and causes them to give up before they are forced to out of failure and embarassment.

I believe the Sermon is to be taken seriously and is attainable here and now. But, it is quite obviously so far above where we live that we are NOT going to do it well any time soon. It is a strange tension to set out on a course you know you cannot follow correctly in your condition. There are many others paths that can be chosen. But, deep inside you know there is no other course to follow. Forward we go...

However, the issue is less about succeeding and more about living. As my friend said, choosing to live for His presence in our lives needs to be first. Attaining to a higher accomplishment can never be first, no matter how noble it appears. We need to run headlong into the Sermon knowing that we cannot make it in our state, but determined above anything else that we want Him near us and filling our minds and hearts as we step forward. Succeeding is about saying "YES" and choosing to try. It is never just about making it.

So, will we be able to win the battle in our minds or wrestle successfully against anger (the spirit of murder....think about how serious this battle needs to be)? Maybe not anytime soon! But, winning is waking up and saying "YES" to your King as you lean into Him and find His presence.

Brian Creary
Ministry Director