For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.--I Corinthians 1:18
Because of the cross of Jesus Christ, I have no fear of perishing, because I have entrusted my life to my Savior, Jesus Christ. The power that raised Jesus to life, the very thing that our enemy, Satan, had not anticiapted, is available to me, through the Holy Spirit, for daily living. That is a lot of power.
We sometimes either forget about it, or do not anticipate it, but the power of God is a Mighty thing to behold! The power to overcome temptation, to face uncertain times, to walk through this life unscathed by our hurts, to simply trust another with our very breath...these are the things that depending on God's power produce.
What a message we have as Christian believers...this message of the Saving power of Christ. This message of Reconciliation to the Creator of the Universe! And yet, for some reason, we hold back, withold blessing one another, or encouraging one another...we even hold grudges. There is no room in true kingdom work for jealousy among us, for God created each one of His children with unique gifts and characteristics. We should no longer listen to our enemy and claim our 'right', instead, we should celebrate each other's gifts and talents. Releasing one another to develop and pursue the talent and passion that God placed within our DNA when He knit us together in our mother's wombs.
We don't just do this to one another within the Body of Christ, the church...oh, no, we do it to our children, our spouses...sometimes our brothers and sisters or our parents. Wishing and hoping 'they were different'--"I wish they were more like so-and-so"...when our hope and our prayer should be, 'Change MY heart, Lord--give ME a good attitude, a pure heart, a spirit that glories in our differences--finding the good qualities in others"\'...
Don't worry, I fall down at this sometimes, as well. Perhaps it is because I have been, for these past 15 months, living among true strangers. Until recently, we have lived in heavily populated areas, yet acquainted with only a handful of people. I learned quickly to hone the 'people watching' skills taught to me long ago by my Grandma Sisk. She LOVED people, and loved the Lord even more! She was right, people are entertaining. They also give us a glimpse of the 'mind' of God. Each person so unique from the rest--physical appearances, shapes, sizes, hair and eye color, shades of skin, size of hands and feet--some have freckles, some have glasses, some love their grey hair...some cover it (!) some wear Spanx...some do NOT!
I haven't met many people that I would consider 'ugly' as the world sees...'ugly' comes from the attitude of the heart, for physical appearance is always beautiful to me. The attitude of the heart is worn on the face, and in the posture of the person, so ugly is visible, but can change! The point is, if we are all so different on the outside, just think, how unique we are in our thought processes, and the language we use when we talk to ourselves! By the faces of many of the 'strangers' I have encountered over the past year, there are a lot of unhappy, worried, sad, mad, lonely people in our world today. Give them your friendly smile--it is a language that has no dialect--speaking only from the attitude of your heart. God created us all different, yet in our differences, He knew that the most important thing we would need would be a Savior, that's why Christ came and died and rose again!
So, don't be shy, be freindly...smile...find a reason to love that person that seems difficult. And, do not compare, or show favortism--YOU can do this--by the POWER of God--trust Him, it isn't foolishness!
Remember: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him (Christ) who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13
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