Nourishment for your soul

Have you ever found yourself on a backroad? Roads that are grown over and covered with gravel? Roads that are not smooth and well-traveled, but rough and uneven? Isn't this what most of us find ourselves on almost every day? Things in our lives have so changed that they are no longer smooth and well-traveled, but very rough, uneven, and downright difficult to maneuver?

What to do?

Let's take a look at a great Scripture from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. "We do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

"We do not lose heart." Through Jesus, we are never defeated. We live by faith and not by sight. Our human eyes may be seeing our circumstances as being one way, but our Spiritual eyes see those same circumstances a totally different way, a better way, a more trusting and secure way. 

"Though outwardly we are wasting away." In our humanity, our physicality, we grow older with each passing day. Earthly ailments will continue to bombard us.

"Yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." We feed daily on God's Word, His promises, and His protection, which renews our soul and spirit. We gain strength, courage, perseverance, and power as we look, really look, at Christ.

"Our light and momentary troubles." These are the gravel covered and bumpy roads we find ourselves traveling. Sickness, disease, and anger, pain, and hate from others. In fact, our entire life. Through Jesus, these are viewed as momentary afflictions.

"Are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." Just like Jesus, as He was beaten and then hung on the cross, was not looking to His present circumstance, but beyond it to the glory that awaited Him. As a Christian, we learn to look past all the temporary pains that make up our life on this earth, knowing what lies ahead.

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." Everything you can see and everything you can touch are temporary. These things, all of them, will go away. End. God and His promises will not end. Ever. We must keep our eyes on Jesus. Jesus, who is the Word made flesh.

This is the only thing that will get you down rough, uneven, and gravel covered roads.

What road are you traveling?

I hate being cold. As I age, I totally understand why people move to Florida. Cold makes me shake, shiver, and tremble, which to me is very painful. One of the definitions of 'cold' is 'served chilled or with ice.' Oh, yes! Ice, frozen water, is about as cold as you can get. Did you know that water is the only liquid that when frozen will actually expand, get bigger?

Isn't this how our adversities work? It doesn't matter if we cause them ourselves or they come at us from an outside source, they still make us shake, shiver, and tremble, and so many times they tend to expand, get bigger. Yep, I really do hate the cold. So, no matter where we live, north or south, our adversities will always cause us to shake, shiver, and tremble.

But, take heart, there is still warmth to be had. Warmth that will remove the shaking, shivering, and trembling that is caused, not by the weather, but by our circumstances. Warmth that has a name. Warmth that holds great promises. Warmth that is Jesus. Jesus, who has given us His peace, promising to hold our hand, and to always help us. He is the Son who provides us with the sun that wraps its warmth around us, giving us the power to still our shaking, shivering, and trembling. "God's Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith." - Psalm 19:6 (Message). If we keep our eyes on the Lord, we will not be shaken.

"This is what God does. He gives his best - the sun to warm and the rain to nourish." - Matthew 5:45 (Message). "Warm me, your servant, with a smile, save me because you love me." - Psalm 31:16 (Message).

Are you experiencing the cold? 

Have you found the Source of True Warmth?