I've been spending some time working through first Peter over the past few months and am finding myself constantly challenged by this whole concept of living the holy life in a broken world. This idea that we have the hope of heaven, and know by faith and through God's grace that we will experience yet we still have to experience life here in this crazy world As Peter puts it, " What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4 including a future in heaven - and the future starts now! 5 God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all - life healed and whole. 6 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime." 1Peter 1:3-6 (The Message) For me this is so real yet sometimes so hard to grasp on to. I fully accept it as true and as Peter writes to the church of his day I think we too need to listen to what he is trying to say. What I hear in these and the following verses is the fact that God knows the struggles that we face every day and he realizes the temptations and pressures that the world puts on us are hard to resist and that it would be so easy for us just to give in and deal with the now and not worrying about what is to come. I get so wrapped up in what I am facing today that I forget what is ahead of me tomorrow. Not what my five or ten year plan is but rather what God's eternal plan is for me. What would happen if I started living my life as an eternal life rather than one that has an expiration date on it. The reality is that my Bucket List has an eternity for me to check items off. The time tables that I am continually setting for myself are my time tables not necessarily Gods. As I look back on my life thus far I see how God has moved me through the love of others and through loving others. My best laid plans and programming usually were used by God to show me dependence on him not his dependence on me. I took the time today to look back and really see where God has used me and where I felt his presence and could see him doing his work. The reality struck me like a 2X4 in the grill. My most powerful God moments have come when I wasn't "on the job" but rather was just being who God designed me to be. It was when I was so tired of trying to do life myself that I actually surrendered and let him take the lead. The times where I put Cory aside and just basked in the presence of God. Many would say No duh! And to tell you the truth I've preached and taught on this many times but just take a second sit down and ask yourself who are you relying on you right now? On yourself, or are you relying on God. Are you in a hurry, do you feel like you're going to run out of time, if it doesn't get done right now will it never get done. What is number one on your priority list right now , number 2, number 3? Where is God in your life. Sitting on the shelf or holding you in his arms. If your answer is that he is on the shelf my word of encouragement is that in reality he is holding you in his arms, all you have to do is open up your mind and heart enough to realize it and to lean back nuzzle up and let him lead the way. You'll still have to work and still be challenged you might have to give up some things and may have to throw some idols away. your family and friends may think your nuts and you might even question it yourself but in the eternal picture does it really matter what they think right now. As I read through scripture I am more and more convinced that God has a special place for those who are willing to look a little crazy by following his will. Those who went against their culture because their culture went against their God. Hate to point out the obvious but today's popular culture and priorities don't line up with those of my God and I think its time,for me at least, to start living the eternal life now while I'm here instead of waiting for the afterlife to get started.
