No Reason to Give In or Give Up

About 92% of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital. Statistics prove that if more people knew CPR, (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), it can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival.

Christians are especially at high risk. Distractions, worries, fears, and doubts attack our faith-- always aiming to destroy our spiritual life. These deadly adversaries can be stopped!

Our Lord offers to rescue us with spiritual CPR: Courage, Power and Rest. With His spiritual CPR, nothing is too difficult to handle. Without it, we’ll struggle to make it past today’s first hurdle.

Courage/to trust God daily
It takes courage to trust God. Courage to stop trying to figure out everything on our own. Courage to stop peering into the future to plan for every possibility. Courage to listen to God’s voice in everything we do, everywhere we go. Courage to trust God to keep us on track. (Philippians 3:12-14 MSG)

A True Love Story: God Longs to Embrace You (Part 1)

There’s a quest in everyone’s heart. A quest to be loved without conditions or limitations. A quest to be loved always and forever. A quest to be loved with honor and dignity.

When we seek this perfect love outside of God, we never find it. Because humans love only when there’s something lovely to be loved.

God’s unconditional love excels. God launched agape love when He sacrificed His son. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). The Greek language coined the unique word, agape, to express God’s unfathomable love for sinners.  

Agape love specifically seeks the highest good for the other person…always…no matter what. Agape is a self-giving love that gives freely without asking anything in return. It does not consider the worth of its object but is a love by choice. God chose to love us in spite of our miserable condition. “…while we were sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

The Cure for Criticism

I whisked through the airport lobby toward my car. I had parked my Hyundai at the curbside because my mother clearly needed help pulling her luggage to check-in. My impulsive good deed framed me a criminal.

     

When the airport door slid open, I froze. A monstrous, heavy metal chain hooked to my car’s front bumper slowly tugged my car onto the tow truck’s ramp.

Another accelerated “vroom” sent me running toward the woman police officer.

“This is my car! What are you doing?” I panted; my face red with embarrassment.

She stood stoically silent. Then the white-bearded tow truck driver confronted me.

“You’re illegally parked. We’re towing your car away.” For him, it was a done deal.

I turned to the police woman, pleading and mildly demanding. “You can’t tow my car away. I’m here!”

Do You Have Significance?

For me, it’s difficult to give a simple answer.  Considering the world’s way of measuring significance, I’d say, “definitely not” because I possess a puny amount of prestige, power and money. Using my spiritual eyes, however, I see the truth … I’m highly valued, accepted, even esteemed by God, and I possess His divine power. Accordingly, I’d say, “Absolutely! I’m significant.”

 In my teens and twenties, I was confused and searching. I allowed my peers, advertising, and negative self-talk to define my importance. They all communicated the same message. If I don’t meet their standards, I don’t have significance.  

In my thirties and forties, I figured out the world’s way of measuring my significance was wrong and deceptive.  

Now, in my fifties, I see my true worth through God’s eyes. I’m discovering God’s extravagant love for me defines my significance, not my performance or the opinions of others.

To be honest, though, I still sometimes get confused.    

                                  

 I recall one particular time. I was sulking, feeling of little importance to anyone or anything. My expectations were unsatisfied. So, I began to look to others to make me feel significant.

I withdrew from God. I was upset with Him because He wasn’t answering my prayers how I thought He should.  Thankfully, He never treats me with contempt.

After a couple days of stewing, I was driving home from work, when I glimpsed the license plate of the sports car I was passing. I read Pam 4511. Yes, it was my name … on a license plate, at that moment, driving on I-35!  Undoubtedly, God had a message for me.