Reflecting God - fear not, you're loved!

Psalm 16:1-11

Although thinking about the end of the world can be daunting, how wonderful and reassuring is it to know that God will be with us, casting out fear and shielding us with His wings! David’s Psalms answer the cry of our hearts, especially when he proclaims that God won’t abandon us. We all fear abandonment and rejection, but in Psalm 16 David says to the Lord, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11). Once we choose God, we are eternally in the presence of His love!

Even in our darkest hour, God gives us reason to hope and gain strength from His unending supply. “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken,” David wrote (Psalm 16:8). God rescues and restores our minds, so that we are not “shaken” off our foundation.

We can count on this: God will never stop loving us—no matter what. Rest in His promises, and live for Him like never before!

Reflecting God - living christ's grace today

2 Peter 1:1-11

For so many people, their greatest fear as a Christ-follower is to fall short of the “Pearly Gates.” Many fear that Christ’s invitation will, because of a verbal slip or careless act on their part, cause them to find themselves on the outside looking in. In our attempts to not slip up and to remain “on the inside” we board up within the walls of our churches and our homes refusing to associate with those on the outside, hoping their sin will not infect us.

This belief that sin is a communicable disease causes us to forget that we are the product of God’s powerful, life-altering, world-shaking grace. When we come into contact with this work of grace, we cannot help but find our hearts changed. Our inward bent now begins to be directed outside of ourselves.

In the end, our greatest fear should not be that we will miss out on heaven; rather, our fear should be that others will miss out by our refusal to live out this grace.

Author: Michael Palmer

Reflecting God - The necessity of discipline

Revelation 3:14-22

Discipline is difficult. It’s painful. It’s embarrassing. If we are being disciplined we have been caught, found out, and called to account for the pain we have caused ourselves and others. We like to think that we are beyond discipline, or that we can out-run the consequences created by our actions. We want others to believe that we have everything together and that God would be making better use of his time by focusing on someone else.

Discipline, correction and rebuke are a vital part of the Christian life. As a person moves through life, they are formed, molded and shaped by the people around them. They accumulate, like clothes, the patterns, behaviors and beliefs of others. While some of these actions are healthy, however, many of these patterns are broken and in need of repair or removal.

If we are to be like Christ, we must be willing to do the hard work of self-reflection, and self-reflection is spurred on through the catalyst of the Holy Spirit’s loving rebuke.

Author: Michael Palmer