At Water’s Edge

“Now is the time; now is the best time. Now is the best time of your life!”

Fans of Walt Disney World will recognize the theme music to the wonderful attraction, “The Carousel of Progress.” This iconic moving theater experience was originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair, and then disassembled and eventually reconstructed in Tomorrowland in 1975. The cheerful message of progress through this century is a reminder that the best time we are living in is right now.

Do you believe that you are in your best time of your life right now? I imagine for many of us the answer is no. If you are dealing with an addict, your own addiction, undergoing chemotherapy, incarcerated, going through a rough divorce, confronted with rebellious children, caring for elderly parents, etc., you may not consider this the “best time of your life.” And that’s OK.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has an important reminder for us about the nature of time in the third chapter:

Ecclesiastes 3 New International Version (NIV)

A Time for Everything

3 There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2 a time to be born and a time to die,

    a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal,

    a time to tear down and a time to build,

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,

    a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6 a time to search and a time to give up,

    a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear and a time to mend,

    a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8 a time to love and a time to hate,

    a time for war and a time for peace.

There is something comforting in realizing that there is a season for EVERYTHING under the sun. Everything has a place, everything follows an order, and everything has an appropriate and proper point on the space-time continuum. Even the things we dread have their own place. Death, war, mourning, and hate all have an allotted measure in the grand scope of our lives.

The best part is that it’s an allotted measure, i.e. something that happens for a specified period of time. This scripture on the consistency of life’s seasons and cycles teaches us that time is God-ordained and controlled, and we should just relax and let life flow accordingly.

Does that work for you? Yeah, me neither.

In my experience, I realize that this doesn’t work when MY timing is not jiving with God’s timing. Either I am being too slow to respond to his bidding, or (more likely the case) rushing into things with great enthusiasm, but no Godly direction.

I believe that Godly direction is the key to this whole thing. When we pray, discern, and yield ourselves COMPLETELY to God’s timing, it really is the best time of our lives. Setting aside our preconceived notion of when something should begin or end allows God to act as Timekeeper, and sets life into motion according to his plan.

Has the time come for you to do something? Is it time to change? Time to move? Is it time to end something? Maybe you are entering a season of growing, re-inventing yourself, and leaving all kinds of heavy things behind. Has the time come to speak up, or be quiet and let others sort things out?

This beautiful passage assures us that there is indeed a time for everything, and God is in each moment.

“A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

I hope you dance.

Dancing Waves by Michelle Robertson.

A friend who is undergoing cancer treatment is finally having a good week. He feels good, he can walk without a cane, and he actually drove a car for the first time in three months. So he went out and bought green bananas.

I love that last part. It is a glorious sign of recovery. It is a act of hope. It’s what people do when they realize they will indeed live to see another day.

I wonder how many of us are leading our lives as though tomorrow won’t come. There are times when life can beat us down so hard we don’t have the energy, resolve, or desire to even lift our head off the pillow. Sometimes this feeling is situational, and eventually gets easier.

I’m sure we can recall a very hard break up with someone we thought we would be ours forever. Relationships ending can leave us feeling tremendously defeated. If you’ve ever been fired, you might recall a moment of sitting in the car with your hands on the wheel, unable to imagine a tomorrow. At the moment when the doctor came out of the operating room and told us that our daughter had cancer when she was a college junior, I could not see her tomorrows for a moment. Not seeing hers made me not see mine. Losing your parents, a spouse, or God forbid, a child, can leave you not even wanting tomorrows.

Hebrews 11 The Message (MSG)

Faith in What We Don’t See

11 1-2 The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd.

3 By faith, we see the world called into existence by God’s word, what we see created by what we don’t see.

When tomorrows seem hazy and possibly unattainable, it is good to remember what this verse is telling us. We have the firm foundation of a trustworthy God, which gives us a handle on what we can’t see. We can fix our feet firmly in a world called into existence by God. How amazing is it to know that God creates what we see, and what we don’t see. He is the creator of all of the tomorrows yet to come. We don’t need to see it…God does, and that is enough.

The ancestors of our faith were content to allow their tomorrows unfold according to God’s design and will for their lives. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah…they all bought green bananas.

32-36 There are so many more—Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . . Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions, fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies. Women received their loved ones back from the dead.

There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection.

Our ultimate tomorrow is found in the resurrection. There is something better. There is hope. There is a reason to get up, get moving, and get on with it. In truth, tomorrow never comes, for each tomorrow turns into today, and each day brings new mercies.

Faith is the reality of what we hope for and the proof of what we don’t see. So let us walk by faith and not by sight, and go forth to buy the green bananas.

Today Arrives, by Barbara Gudoski.

Every morning it’s the same thing. Check work emails, then delete dozens of unwanted ones. Even with unsubscribing, they just keep coming. They’re like cockroaches: kill one, and 12 more come out of hiding.

Ever wish you could just delete people/memories/experiences/things you said? Yep, me, too. At times, I have secretly wished I could delete my enemies.

An epiphany was just shared with me that brought me an incredible insight. At a prayer retreat, a leader was working through the 23rd Psalm and she stopped at, “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.”

I think when we hear that for the first time we are tempted to indulge in a revenge fantasy. It goes something like this: you’re in heaven, seated at the heavenly banquet. Peter is on your left, Paul on your right, and Mary is serving biscuits. (See what I did there? If you did, you’re OLD. But I digress.) God is at the head of the table, admiring the place settings and silverware. Suddenly the door opens, and IN WALKS YOUR ENEMY.

“Aha!” you think. “Whaddya think of me now, ready to eat this filet and lobster dinner while you stand there and salivate? Wish you had been nicer to me? Loser!”

>Add the sound effect for screeching brakes here. (Sorry, I’ve been in Atlanta too long. But I digress.)

So let’s back up to what might go down instead.

Suddenly the door opens, and IN WALKS YOUR ENEMY AND TAKES THE SEAT DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM YOU. Filet and lobster are placed in front of them, and they enjoy the heavenly banquet with the rest of the redeemed.

Lost your appetite?

Surely the Enemy and all who do evil in the sight of the Lord will never feast together at his table. But what of those earthly enemies who acted from selfish ambition, greed, immaturity, arrogance, jealousy, narcissism…those who hurt us and move on? Is there room at the table for them?

The parable of the vineyard workers suggests a scenario where the table set before our enemies just might be a peacemaking meal. Workers were hired at the beginning of the day for a set wage. Others were hired mid-day, and some came to work 5 minutes before quitting time. All received the same wage. The early-bird workers complained bitterly, and the vineyard supervisor replied:

Matthew 20 (The Message)

13-15 “He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’

16 “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”

The Great Reversal. God will seat at the table whom he will seat. He owns the vineyard. As much as we would like to delete our enemies, God loves them. Remember, we look upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. And when he finds repentance, he puts out another place setting.

What can you do today to set a peacemaking table before YOUR enemies? Would a phone call, an invitation to talk, a gentle word perhaps be the first step toward turning that enemy into a friend? Certainly we must pray for our enemies…that’s biblical!

Jesus said that the “kingdom of God is at hand.” It is in the here and now. We are invited to behave on earth as it is in heaven. If heaven includes feasting with our enemies, why not start now?

Sunrise by Michelle Robertson.

If you have ever stood outside and watched the sunset on a clear evening, you have likely seen God’s artistry at its finest. I have never seen the Northern Lights, but the sun setting over the Albemarle Sound is a masterpiece of color, technique, and artistry unlike anywhere else. We are so blessed in the Outer Banks to behold such beauty on a nightly schedule. I can imagine God with a palette and paintbrush, deciding which colors he will use each night to delight his children.

What would we give, if we were to return the favor? Ever wonder what would delight God? What does God want from us that would give him the immense pleasure we get from a full-color sunset?

Psalm 147 New International Version (NIV)

1 Praise the Lord.

How good it is to sing praises to our God,

    how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

    he gathers the exiles of Israel.

3 He heals the brokenhearted

    and binds up their wounds.

4 He determines the number of the stars

    and calls them each by name.

5 Great is our Lord and mighty in power;

    his understanding has no limit.

6 The Lord sustains the humble

    but casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;

    make music to our God on the harp.

8 He covers the sky with clouds;

    he supplies the earth with rain

    and makes grass grow on the hills.

9 He provides food for the cattle

    and for the young ravens when they call.

10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,

    nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;

11 the Lord delights in those who fear him,

    who put their hope in his unfailing love.

God delights in those who fear him. I learned in seminary that the word ‘fear’ in such cases is not the same as being afraid or terrified. No, indeed, this use of fear refers to “reverential trust.” God delights in those who have a reverential trust in him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. When you come straight to him for everything, it brings him delight. You are God’s delight! Imagine that.

We paint our own sunsets of beauty for God whenever we sing to the Lord with grateful praise. In this sense, though, it is not literal singing, but leading a LIFE of grateful praise. Serving one another as Jesus did, being generous to a fault, taking second place, praying without ceasing, encouraging the downtrodden…each of these things paints a beautiful scene for God to behold. And in those things, he is delighted.

A man approached me yesterday in a store parking lot. He was gentle and apologetic. He only spoke enough English to say, “Sorry.” He indicated the grocery store from which I had just come and said, “Sorry (followed by a lot of Spanish) taco.” Taco may be the only word he knows for food, and his humility in saying sorry repeatedly touched my heart. When he opened his hand and pointed to a few coins and said, “one dollar,” I realized he was asking for money. One dollar.

One dollar won’t buy you a taco in this part of Atlanta, so I gave him a ten.

His eyes welled up and his head dropped in gratitude as he quietly and profusely thanked me. I don’t know if he went off to buy baby formula or beer, but as I put my cart away, I saw him walking into Publix with his head held high, and I saw God’s artistry in that moment.

Where are you being called to delight God today? Can you be generous? Encourage someone who is down? Pray for a hurting neighbor? Take a casserole to a lonely person?

Go ahead. Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Live out your life of grateful praise by painting something beautiful with your actions. God will be absolutely delighted.

Photo by Carol Riggin.

JESUS, TAKE THE WHEEL. Being back in Atlanta traffic after an absence is a culture shock for me. In 48 hours I have received a hellfire-and-brimstone, full-immersion baptism of cars slamming on brakes, tires screeching, angry commuters, speedy lead-foots, impatient workers running late…it is a ‘fully-woke’ nightmare. Then add road construction to the mix, and you will change your mind about going anywhere and decide to just sit in your back yard and stare at the trees.

Culture responds to traffic, which controls the daily flow of life. In just two days, I have experienced people altering their lives to accommodate it. One hurries through a task because she needs to “beat the traffic”. Another can’t come until rush hour is over. Plans are made around which roads will be congested, stop-and-go, or overcrowded at certain hours. And by all means, avoid the parking lot known as 400 North unless you happen to be traveling at 3AM. Then it’s only a slow crawl.

The reason that traffic is so egregious is because people become egregious once they get behind the wheel. Everyone feels entitled to be first in line. People push to be first in the lane as you merge onto the highway. Cars zip and zoom around others so they can pass and get in front. Every day you can watch drivers switching lanes without warning like it’s the Indy 500.

Think of it! If everyone would just be content to stay in their lane, wait their turn, and God forbid, even let someone else go first, traffic would be tolerable and accidents would be greatly reduced. But instead, we cut one another off and risk causing an accident just to get one car-length ahead.

James 4 The Message (MSG)

Get Serious

4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find.

It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

Humility is the act of letting others go first. Humility is the practice of putting someone else’s need ahead of your own. The willing humble wave people in, slow down, look out for others, and give way. Humility is not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought.

Where are you pushing when you should be stepping back? Who needs to be waved into your lane while you slow down and allow it? Where are you acting like a spoiled child, wanting first place at the expense of the other travelers in your life? Are you driving your life like the willful proud, determined to get your own way at any cost, or the willing humble, reflecting the image of Christ in what you say and do?

God gives grace to the willing humble. So slow down. Be gracious. Let somebody in. Show generosity. And please don’t cut someone off today…especially if you have an ichthus on your car.

Colington Harbor traffic jam at Sailing School.

It is amazing what the human body can endure. The record for consecutive nights without sleep is 11 days. Research tells us that it only takes about 3 to 4 days without sleep before you start to hallucinate. I am on 2 days of no sleep and I can tell you that the mental abilities (which were weak to begin with!) are beginning to wane. That is my disclaimer for any grammatical errors or typos in what is to fallow. I mean follow.

After 9/11, I had insomnia for four months. I suppose many people did, and as a pilot’s wife, the images that kept me awake were not the falling buildings, but the planes that flew into them. Since my honeymoon, I have had awful nightmares of falling planes. I suppose that goes with my territory. Insomnia made me think I was going to lose my mind. I could barely function by day. I would sit in a chair in the living room in the middle of the night and try to pray or read, and no relief came. Finally, God delivered me.

The Psalms were written as songs to be sung along the journey. They communicated faith. They told the story of hope in the community. They became an oral history of a people, and that includes us. Best of all, they unite us in a chorus of voices that are unified in one singular purpose: to sing praises and encourage each other that God does indeed deliver us.

Today I sing this Psalm in praise of what God has created. I sing in praise of his wonderful works. I sing with praise to our Maker, and I invite you to sing this with me:

Psalm 119

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,

    I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you

    when I was made in the secret place,

    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!

    How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,

    they would outnumber the grains of sand—

    when I awake, I am still with you.

What does it mean to you that YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made? What is God saying to you? In the midst of your despair, do you know that all of his works, which includes YOU, are wonderful? Even in our lowest points of zero self-esteem, no self confidence, feeling beaten down and unworthy, God lifts us up as precious.

“When I awake, I am still with you.” Praise be to God, for those of us who remain awake through long nights. God is with us.

Praise be to God!

Photo by Cheryl Lynne Smith.

The saying goes that “good things come to those who wait”. I remember a time in the Navy when that saying was replaced with “hurry up and wait.” Going to the Exchange? Hurry up. Then wait. Seeing a doc at the base clinic? Hurry up. Be on time for your appointment. Then wait. The deployment is almost over; hurry up! Then wait.

There are many times in everyone’s life when hurry up and wait comes in to play: college applications are due by a certain date. HURRY UP and fill them out! Then wait to see if you got in. Cancer tests are scheduled for this day; hurry up! Then wait for weeks for the results. Babies come when they want to. Pre-labor beings! Hurry up! Then wait.

Waiting is hard. Waiting is wearisome. Waiting slap tires you OUT.

The people of Israel were promised a Messiah. The messiah would come to rule his kingdom on earth. He would take away their sins and would save them. Under his reign, justice would flow like the waters, and there would be peace on earth. But they were beginning to get tired of waiting:

Isaiah 40 (NIV)

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,

    the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

    his understanding is unsearchable.

29 He gives power to the faint,

    and strengthens the powerless.

30 Even youths will faint and be weary,

    and the young will fall exhausted;

31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary,

    they shall walk and not faint.

And so Israel hurried up. And waited. Centuries passed from the time of Isaiah to the advent of Jesus Christ. And then they had waited so long, many didn’t recognize him as the messiah. But some did. Perhaps they were the ones who waited with open anticipation. As you wait, are you open to receiving God’s answer in a completely different way than you are expecting? Jesus was not what was expected, but good things came to those who waited for him.

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength. Why? Because God does not faint or grow weary. God gives power to the faint. He strengthens the powerless. But you….you will mount up with wings like eagles if you choose to wait for the Lord.

The challenge is to spend your time in the “waiting room” wisely. What else can you be doing while you wait? Can you be immersed in the word? Shoring up failing relationships? Actively spreading hope to others who are also waiting? Witnessing to God’s presence in the waiting room? Waiting rooms can be places that bear just as much fruit as delivery rooms if we keep our eyes open while we wait.

I am in hurry-up-and-wait-mode as I write this. A grandchild is coming, and he is coming at his own pace. While we wait upon the Lord to deliver, we gain strength in knowing that God never grows weary. And so we take this time in our waiting room to grow in our love of God, of family, of faith, and in confidence that in every hurry-up and every slow-down moment, God is with us.

And I just can’t wait to see what he does.

Photo by Michelle Robertson.

The carving reads, “ACHIEVED BY DAUNTLESS RESOLUTION.” It is on the west face of the beautiful Wright Brothers Memorial, which stands on a high place overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Albemarle Sound. Erected in 1927, the sixty-foot gray granite memorial is situated upon a ninety-foot hill in Kill Devil Hills. The full carving on the memorial states: “In commemoration of the conquest of the air by the brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright conceived by genius achieved by dauntless resolution and unconquerable faith,” Spreading wings decorate the memorial and depict a large bird taking flight.

My running partner and I had looped the bottom of the monument four times and climbed it once. We decided to climb one last time before we went home, and we were SPENT. As in, call the EMTs, we-may-need-CPR-spent. I actually checked with her as we were climbing to make sure her CPR certification was up to date. As we trudged up this hill, exchanging moans and complaints, we looked up and saw her:

She wasn’t complaining. She wasn’t moaning. She was persevering.

James 1 (NIV)

12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

This beautiful, double-caned hiker is our inspiration. There are just some times when you have to push through, keep climbing, and NEVER GIVE UP.

When your rebellious teenager is caught with drugs at a party, don’t give up.

When chemo has completely kicked your backside and you are exhausted, don’t give up.

When your spouse refuses to acknowledge the alcohol addiction that is damaging your family, don’t give up.

When you get fired for things completely outside of your control, don’t give up.

When life comes at you with hurricane force winds and your roof blows up, don’t give up.

When brain tumors, infidelity, bankruptcy, scandal, divorce, and any manner of evil blocks your climb, don’t give up.

Romans 5 New International Version (NIV)

Peace and Hope

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Perseverance. Pushing forward. Developing character. Receiving God’s hope. That is what this lady was doing up the hill to the monument, and that’s what many of you do every day.

So to the ones who are struggling today…the cancer survivors and fighters, the women in the Georgia prison, the moms and dads who lose sleep over their kids at night, the addicts and their families, to all of us…keep climbing. Your crown of life awaits, and God is with you all the way.

Never give up.

Dauntless resolution.

Proverbs 18:15 (NIV)

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out.

So few words, yet such a profound teaching!

Discernment is that elusive thing that we all seek. It is the process of being able to gain wisdom, direction and spiritual guidance from several sources. Scripture reading, prayer, and conversations with fellow seekers are usually the best places for discerning something.

Discernment allows us to grasp and obtain knowledge or insight that helps us in our daily living. Whenever we are in a planning, contemplating, preparing, or envisioning phase of life, discernment is that God-connector that helps us tap into HIS perspective on the matter and make it our own.

When I was discerning my call to ministry, it took a full two years to realize it in its fullest. A single remark by a former pastor was all it took to begin the process, and much scripture reading and prayer (mostly in the form of “you’ve GOT to be kidding”) brought me closer. But it was the comments of others that finally brought me to that AHA moment of clarity.

Lack of discernment leads us down very wrong paths. I have seen firsthand what a lack of discernment can do to a family trying to raise teenagers, to marriages, and to ministries that haven’t been thought out. A colleague and I just had a good laugh at a rather rash conclusion I had come to last year and was just proved totally wrong. Looking back on it, I had based my conclusion on a few external criteria rather than spend some time in proper discernment. God obviously had a better plan!

I love how this proverb connects the heart to the discerning process. Surely it is a matter of using the heart rather than the mind to increase your perception on an issue. Some call it our “sixth sense,” and the lovely thing about it is that discernment allows us to access the higher powers of God, who already knows the right thing to do.

The challenge for us is to WAIT. This truly is a “wait upon the Lord” situation. Words spoken in haste and anger, decisions made without proper and thorough contemplation, and assumptions made without investigation will thwart the methodical discernment process.

Isaiah 40:31 The Message (MSG)

27-31 Why would you ever complain, O Jacob,

    or, whine, Israel, saying,

“God has lost track of me.

    He doesn’t care what happens to me”?

Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you been listening?

God doesn’t come and go. God lasts.

    He’s Creator of all you can see or imagine.

He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath.

    And he knows everything, inside and out.

He energizes those who get tired,

    gives fresh strength to dropouts.

For even young people tire and drop out,

    young folk in their prime stumble and fall.

But those who wait upon God get fresh strength.

    They spread their wings and soar like eagles,

They run and don’t get tired,

    they walk and don’t lag behind.

Indeed, God doesn’t come and go! God LASTS. Those who wait upon him get fresh strength, real answers, proper direction, and they spread their wings and soar like eagles. So if you are trying to figure something out today, pray, read, talk, and most of all, WAIT.

Sunrise Fishermen by Michelle Robertson.

I once paid my sister $300 in Monopoly dollars for a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. The unfair and soul-crushing irony of that is that you can pay a $200 fine to the Community Bank to get out of jail. But being the youngest player at the table, I did not know that and was CONNED into paying for a free card. This is the plight of every youngest child in the family. Being the youngest was no stroll down Boardwalk, I’ll tell you!

There are ladies in a jail in Georgia who are part of our community here At Water’s Edge. A friend of mine visits them frequently and is able to use a special email system to send these devotionals to women she has met there. There are several beautiful things in that sentence:

1. A faithful servant visits women in jail. Just like Jesus instructed.

2. The jail provides a means of contact so that she can continue to care for them between visits.

3. These sisters in Christ are being exposed to the word of God.

In the book of Acts, we discover the incredible journeys of Paul, which include sailing, ship wrecks, preaching to large crowds, conversions, healings, and imprisonment. Paul spent years in prison awaiting trial. He was finally released after using his position as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar. While in jail, Paul continued his ministry by sharing the Gospel with his fellow inmates and guards.

In jail lingo, that is known as “doing good time.” I did jail ministry for five years when I lived in Georgia, and every week I would encourage my inmates to “do good time.” Time would be spent there one way or another. The choice to make it good time was always theirs. With nose to the grindstone, good time resulted in getting a GED or a college degree, staying fit, immersing themselves in the Word, and making amends with their families and friends. Good time often resulted in good results and being released earlier for good behavior. It was a price they could pay to improve their circumstances.

What none of us can pay for, however, is the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card offered through the grace of God. Everyone is imprisoned by sin, and only Jesus Christ can pay that bail:

Ephesians 2 New International Version (NIV)

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Everyone reading this today is in some form of prison. Some are confined by metal bars and concrete cinder blocks. Some by abuse. Some by life-threatening habits they refuse to give up. Some by obsessions. Some by poor choices. Some by years of anger and resentment. Some by unhealthy relationships.

But Christ died that we all might be free, and the gift of grace is the key that unlocks the prison door. Where is Jesus offering you a personalized “Get Out of Jail Free” card today? What is he calling you to change so that you might experience true freedom and live the life he has prepared for you to live?

The choice to make this time on earth “good time” is yours. We are saved by grace and were created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Choose life!

“Free Like a Bird,” by Michelle Robertson.