Are you the "cool, calm, and collected" type? Then this devo is not for you--unless you want to find out how WE tick! You see, I'm not in that "CCC" group, not by a long shot--my temperament, personality and nationality have seen to that! I look at others who seem so "all together" and think, "Now why can't *I* be like that?" But God has made us ALL - and if I WERE "like that," just think--you would miss this devotional! For many of these devotionals come out of personal pain and need--I write to myself as much as I write to you! And today's devo is no exception!
Personally I am dealing with a multi-faceted life suddenly thrust, in the last couple of years, from the traditional "Christian wife, mom, homemaker" role into the "Christian wife, mom, homemaker, webmaster, writer, administrator, editor, ministry" role--makes me tired just to SAY it! As I wrote a friend this week, "I DO enjoy my work. I DO love Peggie's Place. I DO love my family...but it is a three-in one nightmare of time-management and emotional pressure." Now don't let my transparency shock you--just admit you've been there, or ARE there now and know exactly what I mean! And now let's ALL go to the Well--for the Answer is waiting for us there!
A Helping Word...or
Two!
Meet the "Cool, Calm, Collected" One!
Have you ever known Jesus, whether in His Word or in your life, to be ruffled or restless, stressed or strained? No--and neither have I! It's dawned on me, as I hope it will dawn on you, that He, our role model, is the cool, calm, collected One--and the Answer to our hot-headed turmoils and traumas lie not in self-help books, sincere saintly advice, or sanctified sermons, but in HIM! Let's see Him in action, and know the Role Model we serve is well able to work and walk with US through the strains and stresses of daily life. He's got a message for us, if we're desperate enough and ready enough for His help!
Cool Under Attack--a God-filled mind!
Come with me to the temptation in the desert! See the Son of God facing mind-boggling pressures to give up His divinity to a lost cause, namely, the devil himself. He stayed COOL....why? Because His Father's Word was deeply ingrained in His thought processes. His mind did not stray to the fast-paced answers and manipulations of human plans and resources to get out of this jam! No--it was "stayed on God" and His God-filled mind quickly, without reservation, drew on the resource of God's Word. It was in that powerful Word He found strength to cope with and conquer the onslaught on the enemy.
So what do we do? SLOW DOWN--take time to meditate in His Word, to draw strength from His message, to gain wisdom from Our Father's thoughts. "My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts"...we run too fast, we race too swiftly, we strive too hard! The answers are NOT in our own well thought-out reasoning powers--they will fail and fall apart. Let's take time to listen to Him--for the Answer we seek IS in Him and in His Word--"let the mind of Christ dwell in you richly"--it is OURS--if we will appropriate it this day!
Calm in Crisis--a God-stilled heart!
Come with me to the tomb of Lazarus! See the grieving friends of the Lord. Listen to His prayer to the Father, "I know, Lord, that thou hearest me." Listen closely--for therein lies the Answer. His calmness in crisis was due to the close relationship He had with His Father. He loved Mary and Martha; He loved Lazarus, but He loved and listened to the Father more! He knew the crisis was an opportunity for God's power to be revealed, and so He relaxed. No panic, no frenzy--just a resting trust in the Father He loved, trusted and knew. And, by the way, it was this same calmness that gave Him power one night to say to the stormy Galilee, "Peace be still!" It sure calmed the hearts of some frightened fishermen as you well remember....but that's ANOTHER story....
So what do we do? CALM DOWN--take time to KNOW Him, to establish a personal relationship with Him, to rise to the level of trust He desires for us, to know a calmness within our hearts no earthly help can give. The answers are not in a confident, controlled personality, no matter how cool or calm we think we are or would like to be. The Answer is in knowing HIM--whether friend, fisherman, or follower. He is our calmness, our security, our confidence and our strength. His calmness is OURS--if we will appropriate it this day!
Collected in Purpose--a God-surrendered spirit!
Come with me to the test in the Garden! See our Lord, in deep agony of spirit and hear His prayer, "If it be thy will, let this cup pass from me--but nevertheless, not My will, but thine be done." We have no human comprehension of the surrender that took place that night--but thank God, it did. The natural humanness to shrink from the suffering was outweighed by the purposeful surrender to the plan of the Father--and Christ's prayer became our saving grace. Why? Because He knelt in total and absolute surrender to the Will of God. No falling apart in panic, no obstinance to the plan--or the pain, just a prayer of absolute surrender to the Father's will.
So what do we do? KNEEL DOWN--make a daily, prayerful surrender of all we are and ever hope to be to the God who made us, to the God who designed each of our lives for purpose and meaning. Each life, planned by the Lord of life, has a Masterful design--but it only works when the Lord holds the blueprint. As one writer said, "YOUR will--nothing more, nothing less, nothing else!" It is in that full surrender we will know that the God who has planned our life will give us the ability and strength to carry out that plan. "His calling is His enabling," and it can be ours--if we will appropriate it this day!
Back to the nightmare...what do we do with it? We take it to Jesus, the Daystar of our lives, who is able to turn any nightmare into morning! He sees the situation from His vantage point, a higher and holier one than mine. He alone has the power to dispel the nightmare - to illuminate my mind, still my heart, and warm my spirit (Isn't that what stars DO??)
A pastor friend reminded me, "It is just a SMALL CHANGE to go from pressure to pleasure." My first reaction was, "Huh? How in the world do I do that?" But as I pondered it, I realized it was profound....everyone should have friends like that...grin! For you see, as I slow down, calm down, and kneel down IN HIS PRESENCE, as I give HIM the pressures of my life, as I allow HIM to be the Daystar of my life - the place of the pressure becomes the place of His Presence!
Want to be cool, calm and collected? Let's face it--we must learn to cling to Him--who IS, and therein lies our Answer! It's a lifelong learning process, I'm sure, but what a challenge! I want to strive towards that goal, how about you? May the place of the pressure become the place of His Presence in all of our lives as we walk with Him this week!
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9/11: A Christian Response to the Tragedy of a Lifetime . . . . . . Tower of Strength crisis devos
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