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Greetings Family, I have been reading a book that has proven to be very thought-provoking and convicting. It is good to have your soul shaken up once in a while. The Bible tells us we need to examine ourselves - where are we on this spiritual journey? It is good to do a check in order to stay on track. One of the statements from the book: "If life is a river, then pursuing Christ requires swimming upstream. When we stop swimming, or actively following Him, we automatically begin to be swept downstream." It is ironic that several months ago, that very concept was on my heart when I wrote the following journal entry:
Every radically committed, faithful devoted follower of Jesus Christ is swimming against a very strong current. It is exhausting at times and requires supernatural strength and endurance and perseverance to make any headway. Progress can be slow and there are times the great pressure pulls backward. Can you sense the struggle? Can you feel the futility at times? If so, that is good, even though it may not feel that way at the the time. It means you have a pulse - you are a living, breathing authentic Christian. Over and over again, the Scripture tells us that we will be swimming upstream. Jesus spoke of it often… our call is to deny self and take up our cross. "In this world you will have trouble," Jesus said. The apostles emphasized this truth as well. Don't be surprised by the fiery trials you face - everyone who wants to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted - endure hardship as discipline. God is dealing with us as sons and daughters and it will yield fruit of peace and righteousness. The fact is that we will have tired hands, we will have weakened knees - but not forever. That is good news, but that is not the only good news. We are not alone in our struggles. God did not leave us to fend for ourselves. The God who never sleeps is the perfect and vigilant good Shepherd who never for a moment is distracted from His watchful care and tender compassion for His sheep. He sent His Holy Spirit to get us safely to our destination, and to give us the strength we need to not only endure, but also to triumph. Just as we are not alone in our struggles, we are not alone in our victories, either. We do not celebrate alone. The Father will rejoice over us with singing!
That is what I wanted to say. May you be encouraged and strengthened this week!