Getting back in the swing of things today after our break. Thank You, Father, for the blessing of walking and conversing with a brother in Christ! Bless him, Father!
Romans 5:18-21 (<<click here to read the passage)
This last weekend, my goal was to begin getting our outside Christmas lights and decorations up. In the yard barn behind our house, I have a large tote full of those things. The tote is stored in the back end of the barn up on a loft of sorts (it’s not like a farm barn – it’s just a building to store the zero-turn, ladders, outdoor tools, etc.). Well the plan was to pull the tote off the loft (it wasn’t crazy heavy) and pivot to slide it over the back of the zero-turn, on which I was standing to get ahold of the tote. Everything was going fine until I went to pivot, for as I started to turn my center of gravity was a bit too much forward, so the tote was going to drop. Well, by the time I let go of the tote, I was no longer able to retain my balance so I toppled on top of the tote, which had fallen between the zero-turn and the hose cart and large trash receptacle. I wasn’t hurt but ended up in a really weird position. My left foot/leg was still in the seat of the mower and the rest of me was on the tote. I was able to free my foot/leg but there was nothing to grab hold of to get myself up. I had to text Massey for help getting up!
I wish I had been as quick to realize my predicament in my spiritual walk. I have shared before that I struggled for years. I would do OK for a while and then I would stumble…other times I would fall flat on my face! If I had been smart I would have gotten help to get the tote down but just as in my spiritual walk, I thought, “I can do this myself!” I don’t think I was being arrogant or overly prideful, I just figured I didn’t need help – plus I didn’t want to bother anybody.
Spiritually speaking that’s a terrible idea! After many stumbles and all-out face plants, I have learned that the only way to avoid those things is to not go it alone. I absolutely have to call on the Holy Spirit for help…many times to carry me! He is the only means for me to have victory!
I tell you study Bibles can be a great asset in our understanding of Scripture. As I read through the study notes on this passage, I was impacted by this one paragraph in particular. I truly believe it sums up my own life experiences! (I had to read it through twice for it to really sink in. 🙂)
As a sinner, separated from God, you see his law from below, as a ladder to be climbed to get to God. Perhaps you have repeatedly tried to climb it, only to fall to the ground every time you have advanced one or two rungs. Or perhaps the sheer height of the ladder seems so overwhelming that you have never even started up. In either case, what relief you should feel to see Jesus offering with open arms to lift you above the ladder of the law, to take you directly to God! Once Jesus lifts you into God’s presence, you are free to obey – out of love, not necessity, and through God’s power, not your own. You know that if you stumble, you will not fall back to the ground. Instead, you will be caught and held in Christ’s loving arms.*
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Nov 29th, 2022, Tues, 12:38 pm
