Roadside Assistance

"...I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And, I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws." — Ezekiel 36:26-27

With such strong waves of resistance, a chorus of accusing voices, and so many potholes, jagged rocks, and blinding sandstorms testing their faith, it's no wonder the psalmists often longed for the refuge of the sanctuary that is the manifest presence of God. It is somehow brighter and sweeter there, and there we find nourishment and correction and encouragement for the journey through Word, thanksgiving, and friendship of fellow travelers.

In the same way, it doesn't take long to figure out that the highway of holiness isn't just a straightaway of smooth asphalt. But without its potholes, jagged rocks, relentless temptations, fog, and forces of resistance that challenge all we believe, there would be no smoothing of our rough edges. Sometimes, though, we not only get knocked off balance by it all, but try as we might, we occasionally suffer a total blow-out that sends us into the breakdown lane wondering what hit us.

It may be caused by some level of unbelief, or simply by life...just...happening and how we responded to it, but inevitably it's during those dizzying blow-out occasions when the accusing voice in our head whispers, "See? Missed the mark again. Why don't you just give it up?" 

It's good to know that if that thought bothers us in the least, and stirs even faint resolve, it means our heart has not gone beyond the point of no return. On the contrary, in the words of Charles Spurgeon: "The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, 'why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?' But the heart of flesh says, 'Lord, You know that I love You! Help me to love You more!'"

And maybe the best way to put that love into action is not to wallow in blow-out regret but lace up a new pair of running shoes and keep going. (Funny how God seems to have an endless supply.) Better still, it's good to remember that while we may love our solitude, none of us runs this highway alone. In fact, we can be sure there's a fellow traveler up ahead who might have also suffered a breakdown lane event similar to ours. So...

For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we’re in this with Christ for the long haul. (Hebrews 3:13-14, Message)

And in the process of doing all that, we become just what we've been called to be: mobile sanctuaries of the living God — just as with the psalmists, we find the atmosphere somehow becomes brighter and sweeter as together we find nourishment and correction and encouragement for the journey through Word, thanksgiving, and friendship as fellow travelers...

"Come, let's win this!"

"God's ultimate concern is not to get you or me from point A to point B along the quickest, easiest, smoothest, clearest route possible. Instead, His ultimate concern is that you and I would know Him deeply as we trust Him more completely." — David Platt

God's ultimate concern is not to get you or me from point A to point B along the quickest, easiest, smoothest, clearest route possible. Instead, his ultimate concern is that you and I would know him deeply as we trust him more completely.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/875723

God's ultimate concern is not to get you or me from point A to point B along the quickest, easiest, smoothest, clearest route possible. Instead, his ultimate concern is that you and I would know him deeply as we trust him more completely.
Read more at: http://www.azquotes.com/quote/875723