Key

Today I heard one of the most humble men I have ever seen speak in church and it was a great experience. It seems hard to appreciate what people do for you and puts into perspective what Jesus did for us on calvary when you meet someone who gave so much of himself (literally) so that we could have freedom in this country and so that we could fight for what we believe in. Even though he has never been appreciated for his efforts by the people of the country he served in and many Americans feel we fought a war that was not ours to fight, Dave Roever stands by what he and his fellow soldiers did in Vietnam and is proud that he could fight for the freedom of a country even though they did not necessarily appreciate what was done over there. I can imagine that it is how Christ feels after he sacrificed himself for us and yet people just ignore the price he paid and the freedom they have because of him. Dave is a walking testament to the grace of God and shows people that in spite of tragedy, people can continue to love and serve him because they know that there is a reason as to why they are still here and they have a job to do while they are here. I am not saying that you have to experience a tragedy in order to be great but God uses people who have gone through a lot in order that they can reach those who feel like their is no hope and that nobody in the Christian church can relate to them. Reggie Dabbs said it best when he stated it seems like all of the superheroes in hollywood and comic books experience tragedy at first and then they realize their potential and he then asked the question "Is Hollywood trying to tell us that from great tragedy can come a great hero?" I like that because it shows us that we can overcome and that even under terrible circumstances, we can find peace and can find a way to move on. Now the superhero idea stretches it a little bit but in the Christian view, we can find Christ and move on past the hardships we face.

We see in Isaiah 33:5-6 that there are keys to being successful and overcoming the tough times that we face. We can overcome adversity through the power of Christ and we can be strong even when everything looks as if it is lost. It states, "The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure" I have talked about praising the Lord and this is affirmed in this verse in the first sentence and it speaks of his judgement and justice that he will bring upon everyone who has ever lived. Isaiah tells us that he is the foundation and we should not stray from that because he provides us with salvation and wisdom which is abundant in him. He also mentions the fear of the Lord which I have also posted on because it is known that if we fear God and have faith in him then we more than likely will not stray from his path because we know that he is just and he will bring judgement on us. Christians being educated in this know that they do not want to be punished for their time that they have spent on earth because they have not been serving and been in relation with the one who created them and sent his only son to die for them. The key obviously is asking forgiveness and accept Christ as Lord and Savior but these instructions from Isaiah are for continuous living and for overcoming hardships and tragedy. We know that there is hope and we know that we have a mighty God but sometimes we forget where to turn and we want to figure things out on our own but God is always there and that is why Isaiah tells us that, "he will be the foundation for your times." I believe this is exactly what we need to hear at this day in age because in the times of our day, we face a world that is falling apart quickly and God needs to be the basis of how we live.

I am continuing to pray for all of you and hope that you are all doing well, please refer your friends to read this if they need encouragement or if they are struggling in their faith because I believe many people can benefit from this. If you need anything, you know how to contact me and I hope that you will continue to pray for me.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson