Are Your Cross Ties Secure?

Trains have been a source of enjoyment many times in my life. My dad took me on a train ride in East Texas from Tyler to San Antonio when I was about 10. We ate in the dining car and sat in the observation car.  There was also the Reader Railroad Camden that most kids, in south Arkansas at least, visited during school outings. 

A couple of weeks ago, while heading to church, we were caught by the train that goes through the small town we attend church in. We were right up near the crossing guardrail so we could see the train up close. I watched with amazement as the train wheels of each car rolled onto the rails. Those rails moved! They bent beneath the load of the cars. Although steel is incredibly strong it had to sway as the heavy cars rolled across. If it weren’t for the foundation of rock and cross ties the trains would surely come of their tracks.

The human spirit is strong indeed. Just look at our history.  We’ve overcome huge obstacles and created new countries by traveling across the seas in ships.  Yet in all our strength we are still frail. We bend beneath a load of care. We sway with the sorrow of hard times and we are often derailed by troubles, trials and disappointments.  

Unless we have a secure foundation, the heaviness of life will derail us. Unless we have the right stuff underneath us we are a train wreck just waiting to happen. But when we are secure we can ride the rails of life and never lose hope. We may sway but we won’t come off the track that God has set for us.  

That sure foundation is made of Cross Ties. Our lives must be tied to the cross, nails and all. We must look to the cross as our source of salvation, but not just that. We must look to the cross for strength for every day and to get us to our ultimate destination of heaven. When we are certain an impending wreck is about to happen we can call upon the Lord and He is the everlasting strength to get us through.

Have you been traveling a hard road? Are you unsure of the foundation beneath you? Does the load of cares, hurts, disappointments and more threaten to derail your faith? Do you look at the circumstantial scenery ahead and cringe with fear?  You know that in your own strength you’re not going to make it. At best you’ll be sidelined and at worst your life will be wrecked and useless. 

Oh beloved, run to the Conductor of your life! He’s given you the Ultimate Foundation when Christ went to the Cross.  That foundation never needs repair and the ties never need replacing. One cross is all you will ever need to make it on the rail of life.  He promises to be your everlasting foundation beneath you, your strength when you are weakest, and your way through when barriers block your life. He speaks and the mountains must move. He rides with you, goes before you and travels behind you. He is the bridge over the rivers that would seek to you.  He is everything you will ever need to make it all the way to heaven. He promises that nothing will derail you as long as you look to Him. 

God’s love will hold you up and His care will keep you rolling as you live in the light of His Word. Oh how He loves you and oh how He cares about you and that’s why you can trust Him and ride with Him all the days of your life.

I Corinthians 1:18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.

I Corinthians 1:25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.

2 Corinthians 13:4 Although He was crucified in weakness, He now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with Him and will have God's power.

2 Corinthians 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength (KJV)

Exodus 15:2 The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will extol Him.

Let God Remind You Who You Are!

There are lots of rumors that get circulated over the internet and through social media. Often the same story gets reinvented every few years and pops up again and again.  The rumors usually revolve around things we consider important.  Children, politics and health are three of the major rumor mills.  It is very important to keep informed of current events, but not everything we read on the internet is true.  One of the best ways to check out rumors is to go to snopes.com With a simple check, you can know instantly if a story circulating is true or not. It shows on their page a huge green TRUE or a huge red FALSE.  Lots of rumors presented as true turn out to be false.  Sometimes there is just a little bit of truth mixed in with the false. It’s still false. 

Don’t you wish a huge TRUE or FALSE could just pop up every time you hear something? Wouldn’t that be great? How simple would it be to know instantly what is right and wrong or true and false? It would solve a lot of problems and keep hurtful things from being believed.

What are you believing this morning?  Do you know how to handle the truth and how to put away the false? Maybe you’ve heard that you’re worthless or useless.  Perhaps you’ve been rejected, mistreated or misled. You’ve tried to do better, get over it and move on. But you secretly believe what someone else has told you. You may have been labeled as a problem, a reject, or worse.  You may have been told that your past is your Truth but God says differently. Your past has been overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and you can be sure that God is changing you and redeeming every area of your life.

Oh beloved, run to the Word of God and check it out! When you read God’s Word you are seeing His Truth and are able to reject the False.  God knows your heart and He has wonderful plans for you. He calls you beloved, even when you don’t feel loved.  He calls you cared for, even when you feel oh so lonely.   I pray this morning that as you take in His Word, open it up and read it – you will be reminded of who  you are in Christ.  God loves you and He’s for you and that’s all that really matters!

 

Romans 9:25 As He says also in Hosea, "I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, 'MY PEOPLE,' AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, 'BELOVED.'" (NAS)

I Peter 2:10 for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.

Ephesians 1:3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

 

Heights to Conquer? You Don't Have to Go it Alone!

One of the things I noticed while we were visiting the Vicksburg National Park was how many stairs there were. Lots of stairs at many of the monuments. But we came to one tall round building with a gold eagle perched atop and I just stared.  I thought about those flights of stairs and I just told Danny I would let him go look. I don't like stairs and I don't like heights, so when faced with thirty feet of rising granite, I just didn't want to go.  So I stood at the sidewalk below admiring my husband who, at 64, still takes stairs in his stride. I would let him go for both of us. He can look at the interior and admire the view from up there for me, too.

Trouble with that is my husband is also an encourager! As soon as he went inside the round building, he began exclaiming, "Oh wow!" and "You gotta see this!" He came back outside and shouted down that I had to climb the stairs for this.  Of course even in my trepidation, I started up, gingerly holding onto whatever I could. I called out to him, "You have to meet me halfway. I hate stairs!"

 

Down my valiant husband came, to hold my hand, encourage me upward and tell me I could do this. All the while I was thinking to myself, just keep your eyes on the stairs. Don’t look down and don’t look around.  I was also sure I didn't want to think about the climb back down!

 

Once inside the building, I was astonished! Yes, it was well worth the fear, the stumbling, and the mumbling.  I spoke and my voice echoed in ricochets off the granite walls. Up above, about 6 stories was a huge opening where the sky could pour its light into the dark dampness. Every soldier from that state had his name proudly stamped in brass along the walls. Nothing else was inside.

 

As we stepped back out into the air, I was also astonished at the magnificent view! We could see the entire battlefield below - both sides with their now immovable cannons. From this outlook, we could truly grasp the vastness of it all and how beautiful this area was. 

I breathed quickly, grabbed hubby's hand and we walked back down together.  Only this time it was lighter steps I took because my fears had given way to beauty.

 Oh beloved, are you looking at something you're not sure you can conquer? Are you faced with an insurmountable task and wondering if you really want to do it?  Rejoice!  God has gone before you! He has trudged those stairs, covered that task and overcome that fear. Even when no one is there to hold your hand, God will hold you securely. You are never alone, you never have to face adversity or trouble  without help. He will always be with you, and He will always hold your hand.  And when you've overcome and He shows you the view, you will weep for joy as you realize just how wonderful your God really is! 

 You can be sure that whether you are in the valley or facing the high places, He loves you and He's for you and that's all that really matters.

 2 Samuel 2:33-34  God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect.   He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

Psalm 121:1-2 I look up to the mountains -- does my help come from there?  My help comes from the LORD, who made the heavens and the earth!  He will not let you stumble and fall; the One who watches over you will not sleep.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. KJV

Psalm 63:7 Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings.