Grounded 3.17 comes from Ephesians 3:17 -
"So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:17-19
One year ago today, I got married! To celebrate our anniversary, I "bought" Jordan new shingles for the roof and he "bought" my tuition for the semester. Yikes! That sounds awful responsible and grown-up and practical. (To offset all that, we are going to travel to the "big city" for dinner and a movie tonight.)
But in all honesty, at the price of shingles and tuition, we couldn't afford to do much more. In fact, the price of shingles and tuition on top of our other monthly expenses has had me fretting the last couple of days. We've got enough to pay for it all . . . and yet, I still worry. What if . . .? And what if . . . ?
Worrying about money - where it's going to come from - has always been a struggle for me. I was reminded in my devotions this morning about "The Cure for Anxiety".
"'For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on . . . Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns, and your Heavenly Father Feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry . . . for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.'" (Matthew 6:25-33)
Amazing how we so often doubt the provision of the Lord, isn't it? And why? Has He ever given us a reason to doubt that He'll provide what we need? I know He's never failed me. The Lord takes care of the birds and the flowers . . . and we are worth so much more than they are!
The following link is another Jon Foreman favorite of mine. It's a wonderful reminder of the Lord's love and provision for us - taken right from Scripture. May it be our prayer every day as we trust the Lord to give us all that we need and as we seek His kingdom and righteousness.
12Everything is permissible (allowable and lawful) for me; but not all things are helpful (good for me to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). Everything is lawful for me, but I will not become the slave of anything or be brought under its power.
13Food [is intended] for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will finally end [the functions of] both and bring them to nothing. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again].
14And God both raised the Lord to life and will also raise us up by His power.
15Do you not see and know that your bodies are members (bodily parts) of Christ (the Messiah)? Am I therefore to take the parts of Christ and make [them] parts of a prostitute? Never! Never!
16Or do you not know and realize that when a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? The two, it is written, shall become one flesh.
17But the person who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
18Shun immorality and all sexual looseness [flee from impurity in thought, word, or deed]. Any other sin which a man commits is one outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
20You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
God has laid on my heart these verses, and through experience of putting junk into the Holy Spirit's temple - my body - He is bidding me to make a change and clean out this temple. It is done through TV shows, movies, music, magazines, books…etc. It does matter how it affects you, or how strong you are that you are able to push the immoral things seen aside…the fact is, I am putting filthy junk into my body, a temple. Not very honoring to Someone who is Holy. But as I have realized this, God has repeatedly said to me…."How committed to Me are you going to be?"
As Christians we have choices - we can choose to fill our minds with immorality, or with God - His Word, His love, His vision, and RUN the race set before us.
Do you have some cleaning out to do?
"...whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]."
Will you live a life that honors Christ, not your self, your desires, your pleasures?
Everybody loves free stuff. Some free stuff literally will fall from the sky. Other free things show up in the mail. From time to time, a nice person will place something in front of me to eat, for free. It doesn’t matter how free things are acquired, because free is key.
During my elementary years, the end of summer always brought a lot of free stuff into my possession. Walking around the county fair (where I got free admission going with the group from the nursing home), I filled my free bag with free things as I stopped at booths overflowing with free information. Most of the stuff was useless for someone my age, but I sure looked fierce with a feather wrapped around my head, a meter stick in one hand, and a bag full of loot in the other.
As a teenager, September was full of anticipation for the upcoming winter. Going to the premier of a ski movie showcasing the best skiers in the world up on a big screen meant two things – drool down the front of your shirt (free) and free gear for all. T-shirts get thrown through the theatre like snowballs on a playground. DVD’s fly threw the dark like clay pigeons wrapped in plastic. Raffle ticket numbers are read with as much respect as a eulogy with everyone hoping to win a free season pass, new skis, a jacket, that fuzzy hat, and the ever illusive Alaskan Heli-skiing Vacation. The only thing sweeter than the smell of the first snow is the smell of free gear.
The other day I was driving through a nice quiet neighborhood, yielding to the school bus driven by the lady with pink hair and a flat bill cap. Just a normal day in Minnesota, right? Wrong! I saw something on the side of the road with my favorite sign scribbled onto a piece of yellow paper – FREE! There it sat, in all its mustard yellow glory, you’d think I had just found gold - looking tired, forgotten and old– a free bike!
Do I need another rusty old 10-speed bicycle with flat tires and malfunctioning brakes? No, but it was free.
Did I need that pair of skis? The bent, purple, K2 Big Kahunas?No, but they were free.
Is it completely necessary for me to eat those cookies and drink that punch? No, but they’re free.
Should I join the Collegiate Philosophical Astronomers Playing Chess While Throwing Frisbees and Listening to NPR Club (C.P.A.P.C.W.T.F.L.NPR.C.) when I attend their first meeting?No, but there will be free pizza.
Could I have made more money working at McDonalds during my summer break after my freshman year of college? Yes, but I got a free T-shirt unclogging toilets at camp.
Did I really want to fold towels and sheets, shovel snow off the roof, and chop firewood in a crawlspace? No, but I got to fly in a helicopter to backcountry ski lodge for a week, for free.
Throwing a party? Want people to show up? Make posters that say “Free Beer!”
Today while I was at the office, my co-worker Matt stuck his head in and asked “Does anyone want four FREE tickets to the Vikings game tonight?” My heart skipped a couple beats. The cause of this slight medical emergency was either the coffee and potato chip dinner I was eating, or the free tickets. Have I ever been to a professional football game? No. Were these tickets cheap? No. Could someone get them free? Yes! To make a long story short, my job had me going to the first Hopkins High School home football game instead, so I did not go to the Vikings game. Fortunately, I was able to get the tickets and give them to some friends , so they could enjoy a little Favre fever ... for free.
Of all the free things I have received in the past 22 years, one thing stands high above the rest. It has brought me adventure, comfort, friends, joy, healing, tears, purpose, identity, laughter, and hope. It has made me who I am today. My life has been changed forever because of a free gift that we can all receive.
I think Paul says it best …
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
In less than 24 hours, I’ve told eight people about the bike I got for free ... Have I told anybody about the free gift of eternal life that God has given me?
I love to tell people about my free T-shirts when I wear them ... Do I love telling people how I am free from the punishment I deserve for my sin?
Eating free tacos was the highlight of my day on Tuesday ... Is the highlight of my day being filled with God’s love (for free) when I spend time reading the Bible, and listening to Him?
