Press the arrow to listen to Josh Wilson sing “Savior, Please”. I think this song could become a favourite of mine.

Scripture
“It is I, the Lord, announcing your salvation!
It is I, the Lord, who has the power to save!” Isaiah 63:1

Observation
Of all of the names of God, the world’s favourite must be “Saviour”. It seems to be one of the most common descriptions of the Lord in songs and on the lips of Christians.

What makes “Saviour” so attractive?  Because we have failed and we know that we need help. “Saviour” means nothing when you are living with dreams and theory. But for those who have reached too far and fallen rescue means everything.

Application
“Jesus my Saviour” means more to me now than it did when I was first saved. I used to think that the goal of the Christian life was perfect performance. I see now that the object is complete dependence. This journey does not depend on my goodness but that Jesus Christ is good for me. It is not as if I have overcome my need of a Saviour now that I’m saved. I am “being saved”. So I need his help more now than I did at the beginning.

Prayer
Father, save me not just from my mistakes but from myself. I’m prone to trust my own instincts too much. But I really don’t know what I’m doing. I’m dented and scratched, but I hope that makes me more attractive to you. You are a restorer. Let me have the appeal of the heirloom at the garage sale. Save me, bring out my best and use me. Amen.

Scripture

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

Observation

There is some weight on us that is good for us. There is other weight that we are not designed to carry. Healthy is the person that knows the difference.

Some weight in life confines us. Like a parent’s hand on a child, something  holds us back. We imagine that this is a bad thing. But our Parent knows that this is for our best. It is all in how we interpret the weight of pressure that comes from the hand. The hand that restrains us is also the hand that loves us. The change comes when we interpret that hand as love. Then the restraint becomes a pleasant thing, for the holding back is a sign of God’s personal interest in us.

Other weight in life will crush the life out of us. This is the weight we are not designed to carry. It contains the worries about tomorrow, our fears of what others think, financial concerns and more. There is only one solution for that weight. It must be thrown away. But the question is, Where is “away”? Often times, it seems that we toss our concerns only to have them roll back onto us. This is because we did not case our concerns upon the Lord instead upon something or someone else. Only when we toss our cares on the Lord do they never return.

Application
I don’t want excess baggage in life. I want to toss what is not mine to keep.

Prayer
Father, today, I cast onto you what is not mine to keep. And yet I learn to love the weight of your restraining hnad for you are in this. Amen.

Scripture
But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you.
He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you.
God takes the time to do everything right—everything.
Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones. Isaiah 30:18

So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. James 1:4

Observation
Sometimes it is quiet, too quiet. Sometimes the road is long, too long. Sometimes the clock ticks too slowly, way too slowly. But God is at work then as much as then as when life is moving at warp speed.

When life slows down to construction-zone-speed, what would God say to us? I think it would be something like this,

When nothing is happening, something is happening. I’ve not stopped being good to you. My delays are just a wind up to an even greater work I will do in you. I am a craftsman. I don’t cut corners. My favourite word is “thorough.” I take my time to do it right. As far as you are concerned, waiting makes all of the difference. Don’t try to take shortcuts. Take your time through the construction zone. If you do, you will come out the better for it. I’m about to lead you into the best season of your life.

Application
My strength is to be an achiever, I like to get things done. But my weakness is when God takes his time. I feel like the delays are wasted time, that I need to fill them will production. God, however, does not work that way. When he waves the “slow” sign in the construction zone, I need to listen.

Prayer
Father, some days you come to me dressed in the orange of a highway worker. I want to move fast, but you caution me to take my time to get the most out of the experience. Today, I choose to listen. Amen.

Press the arrow to watch grass grow (and enjoy it too!) while thinking of how God will develop the potential of your life.

Scripture Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal. John 12:24-25 [The Message]

Observation
What does a grain of wheat look like? Wrinkled, hard and brown? You might be right in thinking that to look on the outside of the kernel. But what about inside of the seed? What does the inside of a grain of wheat look like?

If you were to peer inside of a grain of wheat you would see fields of wheat waving in the Kansas sun. There are bakeries full of bread. There are bread trucks full of baguettes, bagels, black bread, rye bread, damper and sourdough. There are shelves laden with challah, hushpuppies, tortillas, pumpernickel and dinkelbrot. There are plates of cakes, brownies, donuts, crumpets and Twinkies.

There is more to one grain of wheat than meets the eye.

Application
If a grain of wheat is full of so much potential then why are we so afraid to let the Lord whittle our life down to one, single seed? All of the extraneous things of our life are winnowed away until we are reduced to just one seed. And with so much potential, why do we cling onto his hand lest he drop us into some rich, black soil? I think it is because we think more about what we’ve lost than in the potential of what is still yet inside of us. If we could grasp God’s greatness in our smallness then we would cease seeking great things for ourselves and let him use our littleness.

Prayer
Father, I am a seed. That matters more than anything else. I embrace that concept while letting everything go. Amen.