Tag: world

The World Or The Word

- dannalundstrom

What are you chasing today that is seemingly bigger, better, prettier or more satisfying than what you have?

I have written about our dog, Paisley, before.  She teaches me valuable lessons when I am paying attention. I often bring her a new toy, shinier, bigger and better toys. When she first gets them, she is elated.  She plays with them non-stop for a few days, and then they suddenly lose all their mystery, charm and satisfaction, only to sit untouched in her toy basket until the next better one comes along.  The cycle again repeats itself with each new toy.

I am a lot like that, too.  The world offers many distractions that capture my eyes and shift me from an eternal focus to an earthly one.  I become an exhausted runner, chasing, chasing, chasing.  Every time I attain what I am chasing, that deep soul ache is temporarily satisfied, until I realize the ache is still there and that next “better thing” did not come through for me either.

What I have learned after years of running is that I do not need to be running towards something, but to Someone.  If I am not chasing a deeper relationship with Jesus, I will be chasing something all my life that has a short return and fleeting satisfaction.

Life is a marathon, and I do not want to get to the finish line with only shiny medals that will rust and turn to dust.  I desire to cross that line falling into the arms of the One, who will always satisfy, eternally provide and forever be at my side.

What are you running after today, the world or the Word?

Shine More

- dannalundstrom

 When the sadness of the world is shutting the doors of your heart, open them up more.

When persecution is preying on your joy, look for reasons to praise more.

When grief says the world will never be like before, gratify Jesus more.

When you want to give up, instead give more.

When there seems to be no love left, love more.

Evil only wins if we lose our light to the lust, lies, and lawlessness of the world. When you want to surrender shine more.

The Inherent Word of God

- dannalundstrom


While the grievous news of the world may be watered down, weeded out and written to suit fleshly desires, the good news of the Gospel cannot.  God’s Word comforts me and gives me true hope, but honestly friends; it also disturbs me because I cannot manipulate it to accommodate the sin that so easily entangles me. When I begin to change, rearrange or “modernize” the Gospel, His Word becomes corrupted by my will; and I make God in my image rather than Him making me in His.  If I am not disrupted by The Word of God, then He is not God in my life.

The World Says Run, Wisdom Says Rest

- dannalundstrom

Being a whole person can feel like being an overwhelmed person.

Time is two sided. It can be sluggish, and it can be swift. On days when our to-do list, responsibilities, and commitments weigh heavy; time is more elusive than enjoyable.  Remembering and desiring to rest is not indigenous to our culture or our conscience.

Busyness is often our temporary escape, and so we run, and we run until we have nothing left to guide us.

The world does not call us to consider that which we are running from but The Father does.  Pausing long enough to respect the discomfort that dwells within our souls is not considered modern popularity.  It forces us to face the foes that threaten our comfort, but we have a God who offers promises that will turn those scary places into sacred spaces if we will just lean in.

The world says run but wisdom rest.  

May we relax our hustling hands and slow our hasty hearts so that amidst the chaos of our calendars we may find a stillness within ourselves that comes from the peace granted by the Author, not the pace gained from the activity.

Which One Will You Choose

- dannalundstrom

 

The world says be successful.  God says be still.

The world subsidizes an exhausting race.  God supplies eternal rest.

The world says climb up the ladder.  God says climb under my yoke.

The evil in our world produces panic.  God promises peace.

The world shames us with standards.  God shelters us with sufficiency.

Through the world, we seek approval.  Through God, we are shielded by acceptance.

The world whines we are entitled.  God whispers He is enough.

In this world, we will experience pain.  It is only through God that our pain will encounter purpose.

In this life, there will always be laughter, and there will always be tears.  We will struggle through hours of hardship and savor times of triumph.  In the end, all that matters is, did we choose the lies of the world or the love of God.

May we never forget, God created the world.   We must never let the world create God.