COFFEE ON THE DOCK

I prefer things to be easy. Will I never learn? Effortless, carefree subsistence ultimately leaves me empty, shallow, selfish and without purpose. It is the daily grind of keeping a steadfast heart that produces the genuine joy found only in faithful obedience to God. Lord God, Fountain of Truth and Wisdom, another day, another lesson, oh joy...no really...OH JOY ETERNAL! My heart is inclined to learn.

“On Christ the Solid Rock I stand.” Words of the great hymns are resounding in my heart today. I have been in an earthquake; it is deeply unsettling when earth shifts, that which has always been stable heaves beneath. These are moments of authentication. Rock of Ages, You are the only Firm Foundation. Lord, plant my feet, all other ground is sinking sand…all other ground is sinking sand.

Living by pretense is no life at all. The raw, straightforward simplicity of the Gospel rips away pretentiousness. Christ’s example of love, obedience, truth and power awakens virtue and exterminates fraud. Lord God Almighty, shine Your blazing Light of Truth in me today. Illuminate the dark corners of my soul with Your brightness and strip away every veneer.

We sometimes confuse DIVINE AUTHORITY, which is a gift of grace, with being an AUTHORITY ON THE DIVINE: confidently condemning those not like us. From there it is a slippery slope. Discernment has great value, but we often move into judgment and dec ... larative pronouncements that bring division. Lord, help me to discern, think and speak things ONLY bathed in Your love.

Fear of God delivers us from every other fear. It contains no trepidation, anxiety, panic or horror, only reverential respect and deference to His nature and will. Fear of God opens our understanding, fills our lives with true praise, grants peace in a storm and empowers us to love others. Forgiveness is rooted in it, holiness and kindness too. Lord, I fear You Alone, my heart is at rest.

Today I arose late. Extra sleep, what a nice gift. Then a beautiful morning surprise: the river glistening, golden sunlight, abundant greenery, azure sky blotted with wispy clouds and a double rainbow ground to the heavens to ground. I stand amazed. O Lord my God, You shout Your glory in all that You make. You clothe the day with exquisiteness, then place two strands of jewels over it. I begin in awesome wonder.

Pain has a unique way of capturing all of our attention. Life without agony of some variety seems impossible. I must not let sorrow of any sort have more than momentary notice or it will sequester everything around it. Giving, loving, serving require doing so THROUGH pain. Lord I believe; those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. Harvest comes. I rejoice.