The chatter this week seems to be on two things, an American sniper and a quarterback and his football. I find one thing with both these participants and their "controversy," in common: both are trained to be precise.
One protected us; one entertains us. Both are heroes to some, to many.
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| Bradley Cooper from the movie "American Sniper" |
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| Tom Brady, QB for The Patriots |
Any U. S. military man or woman serving in harm's way is a brave hero to me, no doubt for a minute here.
In this verse, the Apostle Paul uses the word "according," meaning to be harmonious or consistent with. A trained sniper has to be consistent, his life as well as others is on the line. He is serving his country, maybe even rescuing a hostage. A quarterback has to be consistent in his efforts to score, for his receivers to trust him, for his fans to approve of him.
To be consistent, means to hit the mark every time. They rely on their training, their weapons and or equipment, and know their target. It takes training, planning and skill. Both have obstacles to overcome.
The Gospel is consistent, precise, a revelation of a mystery we can only get a glimpse of. It is precise because it is Perfect. The Gospel is the Good News of Redemption and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ who precisely and perfectly loves you and me.
As human beings, we are flawed, imperfect and may not always hit our target.
As human beings, we may manipulate things, make a bad judgment, not hold true to our words, bring disappointment, cause controversy.
Jesus caused controversy, still does. Truth does that.
God's desire for us is to surrender. Quite the opposite of what we think of as heroic. In doing that, He longs to reestablish harmony between Him and the world, to personally bring hope into our lives in Him; peace. It doesn't mean we'll never see trouble again. He desires for us to practice and train towards sanctification, the willingness to seek to know Him more, with calculated, thought out precision. How can we do that when we are surrounded by the enemy, under stress and worry, unsure of our own capabilities and skills, under pressure to win, be a winner?
We can't. The mystery is in the surrendering, for sometimes the obstacle in our way is ourselves. God reveals to us a helper, the Holy Spirit, who precisely and lovingly directs our efforts, our prayers, our desire towards the target of God's own heart. At the precise moment we prayed for forgiveness, God's precise and perfect redemption saved us and then leads us towards the goal line. There is nothing we can do or manipulate to gain God's favor.
Lord, thank you for allowing us to be the precise target for Your love. We do not deserve it. Your Word provides for us the training we need to grow. Our skills, our birth-given qualities, our horrendous sad stories all can be used for Your glory; no need to manipulate. At precisely the right time, in our availability, in our trust and obedience, You establish us, help us through our fears and into heroics, giving us the courage to stand true, confidant in You for all our needs. Help us Lord to keep our eyes on the Target and trust in Your plan. Now to Him who is able, Amen.
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| An American Hero |
Each week I read your blog and each week I am amazed of the depth and creativity in your writings. I love how you tied the sniper and Brady together; however, the real genius (to me) was taking those two and drawing the Biblical application. Love this one! :)
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