"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy,
to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever.
Amen."
-Jude 1:24-25
by my very nature, i am clumsy. i am decorated with hues of blues and purples from bumps and falls i don't even remember. i have stripe marks from losing many battles with blazing appliances. some say i don't pay enough attention; i like to say i am too busy living life. despite my classification, i am perpetually proclaiming to the world my innate ability to stumble through life.
and oh, how guilty i am of doing the same thing spiritually.
this lost and dying world looks to me to see what following this Christ is all about. and instead of seeing Him, they see a frazzled, exhausted, shell of a person. what a way to share the message of hope that lives inside me.
praise God He doesn't leave me to my own devices! my significance is directly tied to Jesus who lives in me-i am beyond worthless on my own. but Jesus- HE is able to keep me from stumbling! my spiritual bruises and scrapes vanish as i trust in Him to sustain my every breath, step, and thought.
however, while He is ABLE, Jude doesn't say He does. we have an active role of surrender- ironically, as we fall on our face before Him, we are walking uprightly. He makes our position of humility one of highest honor. we become blemish free as we trust in Him. this is the way i desire to present my life to the world- not on my own abilities and strengths, which are meager at best, but hidden behind the cross. may others see Jesus and Jesus only in me. He deserves all the credit for any good that may be in me- as I am nothing on my own.
Father, grant me the courage to trade my life for yours. Where you lead, I will go- steadied by your ever-faithful hand.
and oh, how guilty i am of doing the same thing spiritually.
this lost and dying world looks to me to see what following this Christ is all about. and instead of seeing Him, they see a frazzled, exhausted, shell of a person. what a way to share the message of hope that lives inside me.
praise God He doesn't leave me to my own devices! my significance is directly tied to Jesus who lives in me-i am beyond worthless on my own. but Jesus- HE is able to keep me from stumbling! my spiritual bruises and scrapes vanish as i trust in Him to sustain my every breath, step, and thought.
however, while He is ABLE, Jude doesn't say He does. we have an active role of surrender- ironically, as we fall on our face before Him, we are walking uprightly. He makes our position of humility one of highest honor. we become blemish free as we trust in Him. this is the way i desire to present my life to the world- not on my own abilities and strengths, which are meager at best, but hidden behind the cross. may others see Jesus and Jesus only in me. He deserves all the credit for any good that may be in me- as I am nothing on my own.
Father, grant me the courage to trade my life for yours. Where you lead, I will go- steadied by your ever-faithful hand.
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