Your Daily Crossroad
In Christ Alone!
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. (Romans 13:1)
In five days, the Presidential election will occur and we will find out which sinner in need of grace will be the next leader of our country. If you’ve been following this election closely, as I have, you likely are struggling to understand how it is that in a country our size, we seem to be incapable of finding any candidates more trustworthy or respectable than the two before us.
But, depending on your standing with the Lord, you ought to be able to take some comfort from Paul’s words here about the government. No authority can exist apart from God’s will. And for those of us who belong to the Lord, we can take comfort in knowing that, even if these leaders we dread come in to power, their power can reach only as far as the Lord allows. Our God is infinitely more powerful and infinitely more loving than any politician ever could be. He sees and knows each of us as an individual, but He also sees and knows our country.
God has used leaders in the past to both judge and bless a country and only He knows the future of our country under its next leader. But for the Christian, while we must submit on some level to the government God allows, we can rest knowing that the true authority belongs to Christ and Him only.
It can be easy to get caught up in the political drama, to panic about the future of our country’s laws, taxes and morality, but when we panic, we are forgetting Who is truly in control. I love the lyrics of “In Christ Alone.” The first verse says, “In Christ alone my hope is found. He is my light, my strength, my song. This Cornerstone, this solid ground firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace when fears are stilled, when strivings cease.”
Regardless of who is elected President next week, we have to remember that our hope ought to be in Christ and Christ alone. Not in the Republican, Democrat or Independent party. Not in a candidate or a court. In Christ alone can we have solid ground, heights of love and depths of peace. The last line of that verse stood out to me today: When strivings cease. We have to stop striving to find the king or leader that we think will make all things right. He already exists and He is already on the throne. We just have to stop striving and kneel before the King of kings of Lord of lords and worship Him for all that He is and all that He gives.
I realize this is a bit lengthy but as I read it this morning I couldn’t help but feel it needed to be shared and pondered. What a great reminder, especially right now when all hope seems lost, remember, in Christ alone, amen.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is Romans 8:38-39
Run to Him!
The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10)
There are moments in our lives when God calls to us and says, “Run to Me!” Something troubling is on our heels. The faster and farther we go, the more closely it pursues us. We can’t shake it. We’re too afraid to turn and confront the trouble on our own. But the reality is that we aren’t on our own. God is there, ready to help and comfort us. All we have to do is turn away from whatever scares us, and move in His direction. His Word says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe” (Prov. 18:10).
Dear Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace. I need the kind of peace that only You can give. Help me to turn to You when I am troubled. Amen.
Today’s Reading is Proverbs 18:4-12
Do Some Counting Today!
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! (Psalm 139:17)
Often I become so immersed in things I haven’t finished or things I don’t have that I fail to see all the good things around me. I have forgotten to count the new friends made this year and the answered prayers received, the tears of joy shed and the times of laughter with good friends.
My ten fingers are not enough to count all that God gives me day by day. “Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered” (Ps. 40:5). How can we even begin to count all the blessings of salvation, reconciliation, and eternal life?
Let us join David as he praises God for all His precious thoughts about us and all He has done for us, when he says, “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee” (139:17–18).
Let’s learn to count again!
Today’s Reading is Psalm 139:14-18
Pray for others!
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)
I recently read…
Hours before Judas betrayed Him, Jesus prayed for His disciples. “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (John 17:11). Knowing what was about to happen, Jesus looked beyond Himself to focus on His followers and friends.
During our times of illness and distress, we long for and need the prayers of others. How those prayers help and encourage us! But may we also, like our Lord, lift our eyes to pray for those around us who are in great need.
Have a wonderful day in The Lord!
Today’s Reading is John 17:6-19