In my Sunday School class, this past Sunday, a friend said something pretty profound ...
"If you're struggling, it's because you're not completely surrendered to God."
Whoa. I am *constantly* struggling, and surrender is one of the things I have such a hard time with. I want to be the one in control. I want to make things go my way. But, it rarely happens like that, anyway.
"In his heart a man plans his course,
but the Lord determines his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9
Surrender is a hard lesson to learn, but it's an important one. Without surrender, we wander aimlessly, wondering how to get out of this problem or that, and yet God is patiently waiting for us to turn to Him, hand over the keys, and say, "Okay. You're right. I can't do this. YOU drive!"
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and
lean NOT on your OWN understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He
will make your paths straight."
~ Proverbs 3:5,6
Today, while doing my Bible study homework, I had to read through the entire chapter of Isaiah 53 in the Bible (I use a New Living Translation).
In Isaiah 53, Isaiah is talking about Jesus and His death on the cross for our sins. Well, when I read Isaiah 53:8, I had to stop, go back, and read it again...
"Unjustly condemned, He was led away. No one cared that He died without decendants, that His life was cut short in midstream..."
Why has no one seen this verse before? I've read books that debunk the myths of Dan Brown's book, "The Da Vinci Code" (my favorite being Bart D. Ehrman's "Truth & Fiction in The Da Vinci Code") but, to the best of my knowledge, I'd never come across this particular verse before.
And, yet, this verse totally debunks the claim that Jesus & Mary Magdalene had a child and that the bloodline continues on to this day, kept secret by a secret society!
You can't argue with the Word of God. It's the truth, and "the Truth will set you free!"(John 8:32)
On Sunday, March 26, 2006, my pastor gave a sermon titled "Don't Miss the Party". And, I didn't write down much from that sermon, except for a part that really struck me as powerful...
"If you say you're going to be a marathon runner, but then never train or run, you're not really a runner ... it's the same with being a Christian."
Then the pastor asked: "Is your faith real? Is it just words, or do you live it out daily?"
Whoa. Do I live my faith? Probably not much. Do I put effort into being a Christian (a *follower* of Christ), or do I just say I *am* one?
Hmmm... Things to ponder...
