Good morning!
Welcome to your morning coffee! May our Heavenly Father open our eyes to how he sees us, not how we see ourselves. Father, reveal our foolishness to us, and help us to repent to you of how we've strayed from your will! May we acknowledge your wisdom with the whole of our daily lives. Teach us to pray. Teach us to read your word. Teach us to be together with other believers. May we full enact and embody our desperate, daily dependence on your son. In Jesus's name help us.
Your Morning Song: "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North
Your Morning Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God and one mediator
between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus..."
...
There are two kinds of Christians. Those who are desperately dependent on Jesus, and those who are not. Which one are we? If we were sitting together, having this conversation in person, with real coffee, you might hear my question and think for a moment. And then our conversation might go something like this...
"What's the difference?"
"Between what? The two kinds of Christians?"
"Yeah. What's the difference between them. I mean, what exactly do you mean when you say dependence? And how is it desperate?"
If we were indeed sitting there, face to face, steam rising from our coffee, I might take a moment to think about your question. It's only fair. The door to the cafe chimes as someone enters or exits.
"I suppose the difference between desperately dependent and not is kind of like pacemakers and those glass case fire axes."
"Umm...what?" you ask, even though you should be used to my weird word pictures by now, "how does that explain anything?"
"Anyone who has a pacemaker is desperately dependent on it being where it is," I say, pointing to my chest, "right here. If it wasn't absolutely necessary to have that thing in there, they wouldn't stick it in someone."
"Fair enough," you say, sipping and waiting for things to make sense.
"But a glass case fire axe," I say, taking your sipping as permission to continue, "it usually says what on it?"
"Break in case of emergency?" you say, frowning.
"Yup!" I shout, banging the table with my hand.
A customer and barista at the counter glance over at us. You take another slow sip.
"Is your relationship with Jesus more like a pacemaker or a glass case axe? Do you see him as necessary for everyday living? For every breath? Every heart beat? Or...?"
"...only in case of emergency," you finish with a grimace, "yeah, that's a good question."
Sunday morning "amens!" aside, our daily habits will tell the true story. Do we live by the power of our own pride? Or seek him, daily desperate for his glory?
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