The Bridge to Eternity

“The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again.  No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord.” John 10:18

I remember when I was a teenager Mother and Daddy took us somewhere in the mountains where a swinging bridge stretched across a cavern.  I can remember feeling anxious while crossing over to the other side, but I kept looking straight ahead out of fear.  Slowly I inched my way and took caution steps while my hands were firmly grasped around the ropes to my left and right.  Intellectually, I knew that if this bridge wasn’t safe, we would not be allowed to cross over on it, but it was still scary.  It seemed to be the only way to get to the other side.

In John 10:18, Jesus stated that God’s intense love for Him was bolstered when He laid His life down by choice.  Through that choice we are the recipients of God’s great love and acceptance into the family.  Because Jesus laid down His rights, entitlements and will for His own life, a Bridge was stretched across the impassable caverns to Heaven.  As believers the Bridge is the only way to get to the other side where our loved ones have already settled into eternity.  We walk that Bridge on some days with anxiety and other days with confidence.  We keep our eyes focused not on what we do, but on what Christ did so we can walk that journey in hope and faith.  Sometimes we walk shoulder to shoulder with other believers while crossing, but many times the walk is lonely, and the view is scary.  It is those times, when we must remind ourselves that the Bridge beneath our feet is safe and secure.  We must make a choice that we will go the way that Christ went before us…God’s will…God’s way…God’s when.

With our feet planted securely in the Word, and our white-knuckled grasps around God’s promises we will move across the only Bridge that was constructed just for our arrival.  It is the Bridge to eternity!

What is It?

“And the house of Israel called its name Manna.” Exodus 16:31

Like I’ve always heard, ‘Context is everything!’ So, to fully understand the significance of their manna we must first recall the circumstances that led to this provision from Heaven.  The children of Israel had been belly-aching and grumbling about not having the delicious food they once had in Egypt (albeit at the cost of slavery!)  They were accusing God of bringing them out into the wilderness only to have them die of hunger.  It reminds me of when my children were little, and they would caution me that if they didn’t get something to eat, they would die.  God had provided for the Israelite’s daily, but it wasn’t what they longed for.  God’s response was to send ‘bread from Heaven’ which they would gather each morning while it was still fresh.  Can you even imagine expecting grocery bags of food one morning only to find instead a wafer like covering on the ground?  That was the provision God was giving them each day.  He provided but it was up to them to come out of their tent and gather the provision.  “‘The Hebrew word for manna literally means, ‘what is it?’” Ready – Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 164.

I couldn’t help but be amused this morning thinking about this translation.  Sometimes, our understanding of God’s provision is the very same.  We don’t even recognize when God is giving us what we need.  We long for something different, something more desirable.  I remember I was praying for work years ago when we hadn’t had any for over a year.  Through much prayer and frustration God showed me that although we didn’t like living on our home equity, we had the provision we needed.  I remember feeling like my prayers were not answered, when in fact they were just not answered in the way I desired.  Looking back, I know that God was doing some work in my heart about trust. 

Many people are going through circumstances that require them to lean on God for everything.  Each morning is met with a great hunger or need.  Whether it is financial, physical, emotional or mental God has provided everything needed to navigate through the day.  It is up to us to gather His provision each day through His word and through our fellowship with Him.  He knows what our stomach is growling for, something that the world cannot satisfy. When we shift our prayers from ‘what is it?’ to ‘thank you for it’ our trust in God will grow. 

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die…If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” John 6:50-51.

Choosing Life

“Every day we are faced with choices. From the insignificant to the impactful, our life can be summed up with a series of choices. One foot in front of the other, to the left or to the right, sometimes forward and sometimes back, we take action or an inaction that leads us…through the wilderness, across the river, or into battle. But within each choice lies only two outcomes: one step closer to God or one step away from Him. We are changed by the choices we make.” Ready – Having the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 154.

This paragraph immediately prompted me to consider the year when Bruce’s dad came to live with us. He had Alzheimer’s and the choice to bring him to our home was an easy choice because it meant he didn’t have to go to a nursing home. The choice was easy but walking it out was one of the most difficult faith walks I have ever experienced. That year was a battleground between the flesh and the spirit. The choice upfront shrunk in comparison to the monumental daily choice I had to make to lay down my own agenda and crummy emotions. I found myself on the best of days grumbling and battling resentment… guilt… exhaustion...impatience. ‘Sometimes forward and sometimes back’ was the melody of my out of tune heart. The devil was trying hard to show me the unlovely part of my heart while Jesus was trying to convince me that the choice was noble but the daily journey difficult. Throughout the day as I passed by a mirror, I would see a woman playing the victim…a woman taking credit for things in a desperate attempt to win! Through a series of choices throughout that year, God took me to dark places but not out of punishment. He took me to dark places to work on my heart…to break old flesh patterns…to bring me freedom from myself. I was changed by the choices I made throughout that year, but man was it a battle. I was in constant need to forgive myself for the emotions I was feeling. I was in constant need for forgiveness from God for not forgiving others during this season. I was in need and Jesus met my needs at every turn, breaking old habits and creating a new person. I still have many flaws and I still need transforming but I know that one of the darkest years allowed some of the brightest Light into my heart.

I know many of you are living out your choices…some brought on by you…some brought on by others… and some brought on by a broken world of sin and sickness. Whatever our seasons are, each day we have the opportunity to choose to lean into Jesus or to lean into our emotions. We have the choice to plant our feet in the Word of God where promises live…examples of choices testified…where freedom reigns. We are certainly changed by the choices we make but everyday provides a backdrop for getting one step closer to God.

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” De 30:19

Our Unknowns

“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going…not knowing what will happen to me there…However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:22-24.

If there was ever a person who didn’t take a step without waiting and watching for the Spirit’s nudge it was Paul. And it was an understatement when he spoke of going to places for which he was concerned for his life. He rarely was being sent to places of safety and comfort because he was a man on a mission for God and didn’t consider his life apart from the Spirit as an option. He fully understood that the point wasn’t what would happen when he arrived at his destination, rather would he be successful in testifying about how God’s grace saved mankind.

I began thinking of all the times that life forced me into the unknown. Waking up one day to the unknown safety of my 15-year-old daughter who had left home. Walking out of my dad’s diagnosis of cancer with the unknown amount of time we would have with him. The unknown length of time that my father-in-law with Alzheimer’s would live with us. The unknown… something that can certainly loom as a shadow causing us concern and worry.

What if we were more like Paul and focused on the testimony of God’s grace in the unknown instead of the details of the unknown? We have the same Spirit within that Paul had, so what if we aimed our attention to telling the story of redemption, restoration and the faithfulness of God in our past unknowns? You and I cannot control the things of this world that are thrust upon us, but we can control who we are in Christ during the unknown. I know that as believers we don’t arrive at the thresholds of our circumstances unequipped. The Spirit of the Lord lives in each of us, and where the Spirit is there is power. In Christ, we have the power to overcome. In Christ we have the wisdom in navigate through our stormy waters. In Christ, we have the hope to triumph over the unknown. These are the promises of God, but we must watch for Him, move with Him and testify about Him.

The Clinging Cross

“…each of you take up a stone on his shoulder…that this may be a sign among you” Joshua 4:6.

One of the instructions from God to the Israelite's when crossing over the Jordan was for one man from each tribe to pause, pick up a stone from the riverbed and place it on their shoulder. It would be a future remembrance of how God carried them through the flooding waters of the Jordan and placed them securely on the banks of their Promised Land. God knew something then that He still knows now…humanity has a short memory once the crisis is over. He knows what power an object holds that forever ties us to an emotional experience. It is through that power that He builds our courage and faith for the next crossing.

I remember when my sister Beth was in her most intense season of suffering with her cancer, someone gave her the most powerful ‘stone.’ It is called The Clinging Cross and it is a cross that was shaped in the perfect clutch for a hand. If I close my eyes, I still remember seeing her small thin fingers gripping around it. Once she passed and I going through some of her things I came upon that little cross. The power I felt as I slowly wrapped my fingers around the cross where she had wrapped hers is in explainable. The very thing that brought her comfort as she was crossing over her Jordan brought me comfort as I was left behind on the other bank. Every season of suffering through which we live is not without gain. When I carry that ‘stone of remembrance on my shoulder’ I carry the knowledge and comfort that God was faithful then and He will be faithful again. ‘When you step into courageous living with God, that fearful thing you conquer today is the easy thing you’ll step over tomorrow.’ Ready – Finding the Courage to Face the Unknown, Heather M Dixon, p. 132.

I know that some of you are going through such terrible times right now. I know that things seem like they will never be resolved in your circumstances. I know the work it takes to believe that the waters of the flood won’t overtake us, but that God will calm the waters. If you want to feel brave today, just look back at yesterday and the way God brought you through that day. So, take up a stone…any stone…that reminds you that yesterday did not win and that today the cross will!

Stacking our Stones

“What do these stones mean to you?” Joshua 4:6

One of the most asked questions of my parents when I was a child was ‘Why do we have to go to church again?’ If the doors of the church were unlocked, we were going to be there. You see, my parents fully understood at that point in their lives that the ‘stones’ meant depending on God. Just like the Israelite’s erecting memorial stones after they crossed the Jordan, my parents lived their lives displaying testimony after testimony of God’s faithfulness. We were constantly reminded of the things that God had seen them through. As we became adults, we continued to watch them trust God for the challenging and fearful times. They showed us through their actions and their faith what the ‘stones’ meant to them. In turn, I pray that the memorial stones of my heart show the love and devotion I have for a Father who has never turned away. I pray my life displays the gratitude for the mercy and grace God has extended to me through the painful times.

‘The victorious Christian life isn’t a once-for-all triumph that ends all our problems. It is a series of conflicts and victories as we defeat one enemy after another and claim more of our inheritance to the glory of God.’ Warren Wiersbe, Be Strong. The battle and the blessings are the hallmarks of the Christian faith. All our lives will be built with the stones of remembrance from challenging circumstances. Our stones will speak volumes whether we say a word about our experiences. One stone stacked upon another. What will they display? Will they display bitterness from a previous battle? Will they reveal a battle we are still not ready to lay down? Or will our stones cry out of how we were helpless but not hopeless because of God’s great presence during the suffering? Will the stones be stacked high boasting the blessings of God's delivery?

We live in a watching world full of searching and discontent hearts. Our lives as living stones represent Christ Jesus who is our cornerstone. All things build upon Him so why would we ever want to keep quiet about what He means to us?

“And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” 1 Peter 2:5

Resting on the Promises

“When the feet…who carry the Ark of the Lord…come to rest in the…waters, it’s waters will be cut off…the water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.” Joshua 3:13

I absolutely LOVE the historical account of Joshua and the Israelite's crossing over the Jordan to receive what God had promised them for decades…the Promised Land. I have read this chapter so many times which has brought me such comfort during times when I was facing the unknown. But is wasn’t until this morning when a little word was lifted off the page and into my heart. The word ‘rest’ revealed to me a new meaning for the crossing of the deep waters. This small verse shows an action on the Israelite's part that must occur before the path became passable. The blessing of delivery would only come once their feet came to rest in the rushing and dangerous flooding waters.

Rest…another word for peace and acceptance. Rest is the beautiful offering of worship expressing our trust and confidence in God. In order for the rushing waters to be cut off in any of our circumstances we must first step into the chaos firmly believing in God’s protection and provision. As believers, you and I carry the Ark of the Lord in our hearts. We are all called to the edge of the flooding plains that look impassable…that look hopeless…that look impossible. But our Ark tells us to have courage and step out…our Ark promises us that He can make all things possible…our Ark loves us and will never remove His protection from around us. So, our part is to step out…to believe…to REST in His promises…to accept His will for this first step. Once we are resting in His will, we will begin to see His movement and have confidence in the waters of fear being cut off. God will stack up our obstacles to the right and left of us allowing us to pass through them on dry ground.

I don’t know about you, but rest is the one thing I need when going through all times, both good and bad. I am so thankful that God’s word never grows stale and that when I need one fresh word to guide me into action, He is faithful. Our word for the day…for the situation…for the journey up ahead is REST in Him.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11