I just put together this slideshow about my wife Leslie. She is one incredibly competent woman.

Scripture
Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

Observation
We are afraid of not being good enough. It is no use hiding. Over performance is as much insecurity as is hiding in the shadows. Life is a stage and all eyes are watching. We can pretend that it doesn’t matter what others think, but we have the sneaking feeling that we aren’t up to par. If others knew that our silence was not wisdom but stage fright maybe they wouldn’t seek out our help.

What are we to do? The answer is simple. Let all of your inadequacies be swallowed up in the competency of Jesus Christ.

Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

In Jesus Christ is there from beginning to end. He shows us what it means to be completely human. He can outlive anything that comes against him. Nothing handcuff him, for he holds the keys. Within the person of Jesus Christ is unlimited competency. He calls us to look into the infinite vault, warehouse, reservoir and reserves of his infinite being. He is our all in all.

Application
What would happen if we flung ourselves headlong into the unreasonable call of God and dared to discover what Jesus could do through one life yielded to him? Part of me wants to say, “You go first!” But he calls me.

Come to the edge, He said.
They said, We are afraid.
Come to the edge, He said.
They came. He pushed them… and they flew.
Guillaume Apollinaire

Prayer
Father, because of Christ, there is more in me than I know about. It will only know it exists in me by being put into conditions beyond my ability. So here I come. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to Mercy Me sing “You Reign” while reading today’s devotion about living with imperfections.

Scripture
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone,
A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed.
He who believes in it will not be disturbed. Isaiah 26:16

Observation
There are many disturbing things in the city of God. The church is not a perfect place because people are in it. The local church is an odd blend of high ideals and broken lives. We are right to have high expectations because God has given us a grand vision and the power to accomplish it. But we are nothing more than clay models made from the dust of the ground and so we don’t live up to expectations.

When we are disturbed about problems in Zion, it is tempting to take matters into our own hands. In some broken down part of the city we begin to throw up a speedy wall to shore up the city. But our haste and lack of planning is visible by how out of place our human efforts look in the overall city plan.

Application
Instead, we are to build on the cornerstone. When a mason lays a new wall he first puts in a starting block. Every block and course emanates from that first brick. A new section cannot be thrown up on its own. Instead it must start with the cornerstone. Jesus is building is church and what looks right and lasts is built on him. In panic or good intentions, we are not to throw up temporary solutions. Instead, we are to find where Jesus is building and align everything we do with that.

Prayer
Father, today, show me where Jesus is building his church and let all I add on be right on the string line of his purposes. Amen.

Press the arrow to listen to Christy Nockels sing “Holy Roar” while you read today’s entry.

Scripture
For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5

Observation
Discouragement should encourage us, because when suffering comes so too God’s comfort overflows. Setbacks should alert us to the coming of God’s uplifting comfort. Just as water seeks the lowest level, so the encouragement of the Lord naturally finds the low place where we may find ourselves. When we are disappointed we should be on the prowl for the hidden sources of God’s comfort.

Look for God’s comfort, not his coddling. The Father’s heart is always moved by our condition but like a wise parent he does not spring to action at our first cry. My son has been kept awake for the last few nights with his crying one year old son. He had been away for a few days and sleep patterns were disturbed. The little boy began crying multiple times in the night. So I gave my son the advice that worked for us decades ago, “When the baby cries, first call out to him and tell him you will soon be there. Let a minute or two lapse and then tend to him. Then progressively over the next few nights take longer and longer to get out of bed for him. Eventually, just call out to him without leaving your room, assuring him that he will be okay. This will teach him how to put himself to sleep.”

Doesn’t the Lord do something similar with us? The Father cares but he doesn’t coddle, he comforts us. In extreme times we want God to front up when and where we would like him to appear. The Lord does come, comfort does overflow, however sometimes it happens in ways we don’t expect. We must look for the comforting presence of Christ in our hardships.

I was watching an Australian survival show, where an Aboriginal bushman was showing a Caucasian adventurer where to find water in the thirsty Outback. While trekking through the scorched earth, the Aboriginal tracker disappeared from camera view and scampered down a rocky cliff. He pulled away a rock to reveal a hidden collection point for rainwater. He scrapped back moist leaves and damp earth. Patiently he waited as the hole in the ground filled with water. The Aborigine knew from experience where the secret water supply was and he knew where to find it.

Application
We should mark our life roadmaps with the places where God is most likely to show up with encouragement. In discouraging times we should camp at those places. Finding this comfort requires the effort of going to church, going to a home group, phoning someone who needs more than I do, doing my devotions, and ending the day with a stocktake of the smallest of encouragements that have come from the Lord. The comfort is all around us, and we are encouraged when we acknowledge it.

All around us is the comfort of the Lord. It may be an unexpected phone call. Perhaps an email comes. Maybe there is an opportunity to be helpful. Comfort can show up in our daily devotional reading. It may arrive in the first flower of spring or the last leaf of autumn. There are many ways that the Lord brings reassurance to us. There is only one catch: we must search for the comfort that surrounds us. The Father sometimes comforts us from a distance. It takes maturity to receive comfort like this. We must still our fretful cries and look for the comfort that abounds around us.

Prayer
Father, today I need not ask you to comfort but I do ask that you’d open my eyes to your comfort. It abounds, so help me to abound with it. Amen.

Click arrow to listen to worship while you read today’s devotion.

Silvie Paladino “Your Grace Still Amazes Me” at Sydney’s Carols by Candlelight 2006

Scripture
Then Joshua told the people, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.” Joshua 3:5

Observation
There are many ordinary dusty days on dirty roads that disappear into the distance. For 40 years God’s people had shuffled through the desert. One day was as bland as the next. But God was on the verge of doing something surprising. The journey was about to come to an end. No longer would they walk; they would now fight. Gone would be the tents as they moved into homes. Life was about to change dramatically.

The people were commanded to clean themselves up for the miracle of God just ahead on the road. Prayers would be prayed, sacrifices given, wrongs made right along with much washing and bathing. On miracle morning they were scrubbed up from the inside out.

Application
We need to live on tip-toe to see what God will do next. Expectation is more than excitement; it also includes our preparation. A ready heart is a welcome mat to the miracle working Jesus in our lives. Because the Lord is coming we are to get ready but also in some ways also because we are ready the Lord comes.

Joshua’s message would be heard centuries later along the banks of the same Jordan River as John the Baptist would say, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand; repent and be baptized.” That expectation brought the Messiah. What will happen with my expectation? This story calls me to do more than to get excited about what God is about to do; it is a command to get ready for it.

Prayer
Father, I do want you to act on my behalf, but what is there about my life that would entice you to do so? Let it be my soul cleansing from the inside out. Help me to know how in these days I can prepare for what is next. And may my expectation move you to action. Amen.