July 31st

Good Grief

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 You know the line from the Peanuts character, Charlie Brown-Good grief. Did that ever strike you as odd?

I think it makes perfect sense. See, before we came to Jesus, we only had grief. But now that we've turned to Jesus, our grief can become good for us through His grace.

Paul's good grief kept him grounded, lest his head inflate a little too big because of the revelations he'd received. And it's good for us to be grounded, too.

Honestly, I pray this for the kids in our church all the time, that they would be grounded. Now, I don't mean that they would be grounded, as in punished for something. I mean that they would be grounded in who they are, in whose they are, in what they believe, in what's true and real, and in the Word of God.

This is something that my dad taught me when I started dating. He'd always say to me as I left, Bobby, keep your hands in your pockets, your feet on the floor, and your tongue in your mouth; remember to whom you belong.

You know what? We all need our hands grounded, remembering that people see what we put our hands to and what we build with our lives. What are you working for? Are you building for yourself a little kingdom in this world that can't last forever? Or are you putting your hands to building God's eternal kingdom?

We need our feet grounded on the floor-our faith and testimony relevant to the people around us, not going over their heads or ignoring their needs or where they're at, but meeting them exactly where they have hurt and need.

We need to keep our tongue grounded, speaking in such a way that it leads people to Jesus and introduces them to His love. Do you realize that Solomon, Jesus, Paul, James, and many others talk specifically about how powerful our words are? Use your words wisely.

Finally, remember to whom you belong. We are not our own; we belong to Christ. Begin to act like this today and let Jesus be Lord in your life.

Prayer Lord Jesus,

Thank You that I belong to You! Please help me to stay grounded in Your truth and to live in such a way that I live that truth out to everyone around me!

Amen