i am not the light, he is

He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the Light.  The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.” (John 1:8-9)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think I have to be—or I desperately want to be—more than I really am.  And when I do this, I become the absolute worst version of myself.  I try to be the light, when I can only be a witness to the light.  Jesus is the true light that gives light to every man, and when I try to be that myself, I get in the way of what he is doing.  I take up all the room.  I make it about me.  Trying to be something I am not is always a sure-fire way to hinder, rather than help, what God is trying to do.  So every now and then I need to be reminded of my place…and his.  Grateful to John for doing that for me today.

the overshadowed life

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” (Luke 1:35)  What a wild and intimate and exciting and terrifying journey Mary is being invited on.  It is a journey that thrills her even as it troubles her.  “What does this mean?  How will this be?”  And the beautiful answer she is given is that she will be overshadowed.  Her life will no longer be about herself, but about her God.  She will be the one through whom he will enter his creation.

Being overshadowed means two distinct things.  First, it means that her life is secondary.  From here on out, her life will be hidden.  She will always live in the shadows of the bigger story that is being told, and she needs to not only be okay with that, but she needs to embrace it. 

And secondly, it means that the Holy Spirit will envelop her, the same way the cloud enveloped the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Luke 9:34) She will disappear into him, and he will envelop her—what a beautiful picture of the life God invites each of us into. 

All of us, like Mary, are invited to be hidden in him and enveloped by him.  The only question is: What will we say?  Will we, like Mary, say yes to this incredible, yet demanding, invitation into the very heart and life of God?  Will we say, “I am the Lord’s servant.  May it be to me as you have said.”?  Will we have the courage and the strength and the grace to live the overshadowed life?  

alive to God

“What is required is a constant aliveness to God—an aliveness present when you talk, read, watch, or examine something.” ~St. Theophan the Recluse

Advent is here, and once again we have a beautiful invitation from God to enter into the watching and waiting of the season as we prepare for his coming.  But just how do we “prepare the way” (Isaiah 40:3) for the coming of the King into our everyday lives during this season?  

One way is by paying attention, which is a lot harder than it sounds.  A vital attentiveness to God’s movement and God’s presence is required.  An aliveness to God, and to his Spirit, must be nurtured and nourished within us.  This aliveness is nurtured by prayer and nourished by love.  So let us be diligent in the days ahead to make relentless time and space to pray and to love. 

paths of righteousness

There’s a line in Psalm 23 that hunts me down every time I read it.  And while I would love for it to be about God making me lie down in green pastures and leading me beside still waters and restoring my soul, that’s not the verse that haunts me.  It’s the one right after that: “He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” 

Now, I’m not exactly sure what these paths of righteous look like, but they certainly don’t sound easy and comfortable.  They don’t sound like paths that allow me to coast; they actually sound like the exact opposite.  They sound difficult and challenging and exacting.  They sound like paths that are going to require a great deal from me.  They will most likely require all that I have and all that I am.  I suppose that’s why Jesus said that “the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.” (Matthew 7:14)

But even though they do not sound like easy paths, they do sound like right paths.  They sound like the kind of paths that will make me more and more into the man God desires me to be.

My New Advent Book is out!

If you're looking for a companion for the journey through Advent this year (for yourself, your team, your church, your staff, your small group, etc.), maybe Order My Steps is for you.  It is the first in a series of devotionals I am working on that will lead through the church liturgical year.  If you're interested just click HERE .

cease striving

“Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10, NASB)

“Stop.  Just stop.  Stop trying desperately to prove you are worth loving and just let yourself be loved.  Let me love you.  Let me cradle you in my embrace and let me whisper words of delight and affection in your ear.  You are so busy, so full of striving.  Just be still for a moment and know that I am God.”

one thing

luke 10:42

how can you say

that I am your one thing

when you spend all of

your time and energy

pursuing something else