The Knot part 4
We always think it's about what we do. It's not. It's about who we are. Because what we do flows from who we are. What we do flows from what we believe. So, to me, when we're talking about tying a knot in our rope and hanging on for dear life... what we're really talking about is 1 Timothy 6:12 (NLT), "Fight the good fight of faith. Holy tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses." And, in my opinion, on this side of the cross, after Jesus fought and won the war to end all wars, this is the only "fight" left. A fight, in a very real sense, against ourselves. A fight against unbelief. And here's the best part about the "fight of faith," faith comes from hearing and hearing from the Word of God. In order to "fight" all we have to do is be still and know that HE is God. Listen to the still, small voice deep inside of us and believe what our heavenly Father is saying. He's saying, "You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." He's saying, "I love you," with every beat of HIS heart in our chests. He's saying, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." And I get why that's a struggle for some people to believe. We look at ourselves (and each other) and we see unloveable creatures. We see all the mistakes we've made. All the bad stuff we've done. We see things that SHOULD disqualify us. Those are the facts of the matter. But truth is higher than fact. And here's the God's honest truth: "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below--indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39, NLT). Man that's powerful to me! There is literally nothing in all of creation that can separate us from God's love! That's a Rock you can stand on and build on. And, really, when you think about it, it makes perfect sense. God is love. God lives in you. He has CHOSEN to take up abode in you and make His dwelling place in you. "I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: "Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They're his people, he's their God"" (Revelation 21:4 MSG). God moved in and will never move out. He might have to do a little spring cleaning once in a while. Get rid of things that don't fit anymore or that we don't need anymore. But He's where He wants to be. He's our God. We're His people. When we think we're at the end of our rope, all we have to do is fight the good fight of faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life that we have been given. The gift of God. Not something we can earn, but something that we have been freely given. Not something we need, but something we already have! You can't earn a gift. All you can do is receive it. And, in the context of the gift of love, receiving it is releasing it. Because love is giving. You can't give what you don't have and you can only give what you do have. So you have to know and believe that you have it. That's where faith comes in. What's that old saying? "I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I do know who holds tomorrow." Our heavenly Father has our backs. We can rest easy knowing that He is on the Throne. We can rest easy knowing that even when we aren't holding on to Him... HE is holding on to us!