...this one's for Jesus.

Happy 2010!

I am once again amazed by how God has our lives in his hands. Just when I figure out that I haven't been keeping my eyes on the road, I start to panic and I find that Jesus had everything under control, despite my negligence and carelessness. You'd think that once I had figured out that I wasn't in a ditch by then, I'd give credit to God. Well, that's not necessarily the case.

I look around to see if anyone was watching my mishap; like before, I escaped unnoticed. Coolly I press the sweat from my face as I chuckle to myself, "good thing I caught myself". Once again, I'm in control - oh boy, it feels good. Jesus is just calmly sitting on the bench seat in the back of the car - waiting. Of course I know he's there. "He wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't been driving," I thought to myself, "I've gotta be doing the right stuff in order for Jesus to do anything."

The story is just an example of how I live my life from time to time. I get going in a certain direction, and I forget who I'm living for. In fact, many people do the same. We're living life, staying out of the ditch. It doesn't matter if our driving looks like we had a great night of bar-hopping, we think we're getting along just fine. Daily Bible reading is done just to check it off the list, quiet times are interrupted by our mental "to-do" lists, and our focus becomes egocentric. Our life becomes void of Christ. We've seen it before - people are getting saved in church on Sundays while the pastor is having an affair. Worship leaders are bringing people into the presence of God while they're dealing with a drug addiction.

Let me bring this closer to home.
How about the way you treat people? When people come to you to pour out their hearts, are you listening to them, or do you cut him or her short just to give a solution that you obviously know the answer to (which in arrogance, you don't)? Do you humble yourself to others? Do you take responsibility for your struggles? Do you admit your faults? Do you give others grace when grace seems to be the last possible resort?

The way you treat others is a reflection of what is truly going on inside.
Yes, I am pointing a finger. Yes, this world is full of broken people. I am one of those people, and so are you. What will you do about it?

Take this chance to re-focus yourself. Who are you living for? If it's Jesus, he's got you; all we have to do is give him the time, and he'll do the rest. Be HONEST with Him, and HE WILL come through for you!

Jesus didn't censor His life, don't censor yours.