If we medicate fear with angry outbursts, drinking binges, sullen withdrawals, self-starvation, or viselike control, we exclude God from the solution and exacerbate the problem. We subject ourselves to a position of fear, allowing anxiety to dominate and define our lives.
Joy-sapping worries. Day-numbing dread. Repeated bouts of insecurity that petrify and paralyze us. Hysteria is not from God. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear” (2 Tim. 1:7).
Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t have to fill our hearts. It will always knock on the door. Just don’t invite it in for dinner, and for heaven’s sake don’t offer it a bed for the night. Let’s embolden our hearts with a select number of Jesus’ “do not fear” statements. The promise of Christ and the contention of this book are simple: we can fear less tomorrow than we do today.
When I was six years old, my dad let me stay up late with the rest of the family and watch the movie The Wolf Man. Boy, did he regret that decision. The film left me convinced that the wolf man spent each night prowling our den, awaiting his preferred meal of first-grade, red-headed, freckle-salted boy. My fear proved problematic. To reach the kitchen from my bedroom, I had to pass perilously close to his claws and fangs, something I was loath to do. More than once I retreated to my father’s bedroom and awoke him. Like Jesus in the boat, Dad was sound asleep in the storm. How can a person sleep at a time like this?
Opening a sleepy eye, he would ask, “Now, why are you afraid?” And I would remind him of the monster. “Oh yes, the Wolf Man,” he’d grumble. He would then climb out of bed, arm himself with super- human courage, escort me through the valley of the shadow of death, and pour me a glass of milk. I would look at him with awe and wonder,
What kind of man is this?
Fearless
Might it be that God views our seismos storms the way my father viewed my Wolf Man angst? “
Jesus got up and gave a command to the wind and the waves, and it became completely calm” (Matt. 8:26 ncv).
He handles the great quaking with a great calming. The sea becomes as still as a frozen lake, and the disciples are left wondering, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!” (v. 27 ncv).
What kind of man, indeed. Turning typhoon time into nap time.
Silencing waves with one word. by Max Lucado
FRIENDS:
Father, How tenderly you soothe our fears. Help us to keep our eyes fastened upon You. Let us abide continually in You and to cling closely to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE ~June~
23. Luke 6:37-42; Phil 4:1-7; Psalms 120; 2 Kings 20-21
24. Luke 6:43-49; Phil 4: 8-13; Psalms 121; 2 Kings 22-23
25. Luke 7:1-10; Phil 4:14-23; Psalms 122; 2 Kings 24-25
This will be the last challenge post until a week from Tuesday, June 30th. Use this time to catch up or just reread something that was particularly important to you.
10 Things To Be Thankful For
1. The smell of a fresh cut lemon
2. Watching an old movie you love
3. Sitting around a campfire
4. Having company for dinner Sunday after church
5. On the lake at dusk
6. Soul soothing routines
7. When you finally see something with new eyes
8. Setting up a buffet table
9. Life moving in mysterious ways
10. Being prepared ahead of time
FOOD:
SOMETHING REALLY GOOD FOR YOU
Salt-Free Seasoning "Salt"
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried lemon peel
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
SOMETHING REALLY BAD FOR YOU
Bacon Mayonnaise
Yield About 1/2 cup
* 1 egg yolk
* 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
* Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1/2 cup liquid bacon fat
* Combine the egg yolk, mustard and lemon juice in the small bowl of a food processor or in a blender and process to mix. Season with salt and pepper.
* Have the bacon fat liquid, but not hot. With the machine running, gradually the bacon fat until the mixture starts to stiffen and emulsify, about 2 minutes. Once it starts to emulsify, you can add the fat more quickly. If the mayonnaise is too thick, just blend in 1 teaspoon of boiling water to thin it. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Source: The New York Times
FUN:
No comments:
Post a Comment