Disappointment.

Struggle. Loss. Failure. Heartache.

Not exactly Top Five Goals for the Christian. Or, are they??

Many churches heard Mark 1:21-28 for this past Sunday's gospel reading. Jesus was teaching "with authority" in the synagogue, which amazed the people. Then, Jesus commanded an evil spirit to come out of a man, "Be quiet! Come out of him!" And the people were even more amazed to witness that sight.

Our pastor reminded us Sunday that God's Word is powerful. We should speak with confidence, for we have the Word that has power and authority to expel evil. Do we really believe that? Do we truly treasure the Word of God?



Our lives won't be perfect if we do believe in God's power. In fact, we'll probably get new problems. Or as Oswald Chambers (above photo) wrote in Monday's My Utmost For His Highest, "This College [Clapham Bible Training College in England] exists...to see whether God grips you. And beware of competitors when God does grip you."

When God grips us, there can be opposition from the enemy. And, yes, the spiritual realm can be a scary thing to think about. But, we have the Word of God. It's in our Bibles. Right there. For the taking.

And the failure? Loss? Struggle? Disappointment? They're temporary.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
Psalm 111:2

Epiphany

When I was a girl, January 6 meant: my younger brother's birthday. We never took our tree down until after his birthday. I suppose Mom thought having the tree for his birthday made it more festive somehow, and somewhat lessened the downside of having a birthday so close to Christmas. And she was right. Now that I'm married and have a family of my own, I still leave our tree up through Epiphany, in his honor, even though my brother lives half-way across the country.

Now that I'm a Christian, I can see Epiphany in another light. In Sunday's sermon, pastor said:

There is no star, no baby to draw people in. Where will God lead people? To us. Ephesians 3 says, through the church God is showing His wisdom to heavenly rulers and powers. Through the church, God will manifest His glory. We are the light of the world. The grace, patience, and mercy that God has shown us, we should extend to others. Let's be what we are; the light of the world.

Dear Lord, help me to show grace, patience, and mercy. Help me to be a light in my little corner of the universe.