By: Arnie Cole and Michael Ross
Today's passage
Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Reflect
-What must I do to live by faith, not by sight?
-What steps can I take to relinquish control and hand my life over to God?
-Do I truly trust that God is with me, even in times of trouble and even when I can't sense His presence?
We live in a sight-based culture. So much of what we "know" about the world around us is based on what we see with our own eyes. Yet what happens when we see things we can't control, circumstances we can't fix? What happens when our loved one is dying before our very eyes and we can do nothing to help? Or when we witness abuse, poverty, sickness, violence, hunger, or homelessness and are powerless to end it on our own? It's then that we must live by faith, in confident trust that God is gracious, merciful, and loving and knowing that He has the power to transform all circumstances into good. We must hand over everything--our lives, ourselves, our circumstances--to Him.
Respond
Ask for Change: Lord, help me let go of my tight grip; help me hand over control and surrender entirely to You. Help me embrace true faith in my heart, trusting that Your love and goodness will prevail.
Consider what's real: "Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own way, let go of my own fears," writes Ann Voskamp in One Thousand Gifts. "Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love.... This is the fuel for joy's flame. Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will." Today, meditate on these words, trusting and believing that God is all good, all love, and thanking Him for the peace He gives in every circumstance.
Additional verses to consider: Hebrews 11:1-12, John 14:1-4
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