The best Life-coach ever ∙

The best Life-coach ever ∙

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. – John 1:4

Hebrews 12:23-27

 23 You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect.

 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

 25 Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!

 26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”

 27 This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.

So many people get stuck in a rut. There are times in life when gaining control appears to be impossible. Going through life is similar to swimming. If you are in the water, and you are not moving forward, then you are usually sinking. You can tread water, but you’re still not going anywhere, and if you don’t take steps to swim forward you may end up drowning. Being in a rut is similar to treading water. Choosing not to do anything is really choosing to do nothing.

You can get stuck in a rut for many reasons. Sometimes life can throw too much at you, leaving you unprepared to deal with everything that’s going on in your life. Other times you may simply be unsure of where you want to go next in life. One thing is for sure; you can’t stay still. Life continues to change whether you want it to or not.

Everyone gets stuck in life once in a while. The good thing about getting stuck in a rut is that it is only temporary. You may feel like it will last forever when you’re in the rut and looking for a way out.

How do people get stuck? Ruts have one common denominator – fear. Fear can keep us emotionally stuck. fear can be one of the most inhibiting forces in life. Many ruts

are the result of little more than fear of failure. When faced with the possibility of failure, many will often choose to “stay safe” or remain where we are instead of risking failure. It’s often much easier psychologically to accept failure before you even put in the effort to try. Unconsciously we succumb to limiting beliefs and self-fulfilling prophecies.

To move forward we must recognize the fears that are keeping us from taking action. It might be fear of being criticized, fear of hurt or loss, fear of disappointment or disapproval. Once you identify and recognize these fears, you can actively work to face them.

In this day and age, a life-coach is available. But there is a better way.

The Father is the life-coach of every child of the King. He is there, He is available, and He has promised to get us through.

The Father reaches out to us, we simply have to reach back. Over time, through practice, we learn to respond properly to the coaching efforts of our best Life-coach ever. We develop a renewed perspective on the past and a vision for the future.

Hebrews flashes back to the time when the children of Israel were at Mount Sinai. There was lightning and thunder and dark foreboding clouds. They were terrified and hid in fear (Exodus 20:18-19). The presence of the Father was overwhelming. They cringed and drew back in fear (Hebrews 12:18-21).

REFLECT & PRAY

John 12:35 The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going.

Father thank You for setting me free from the fear of darkness and allowing me to walk in Your marvelous light.

INSIGHT

Hebrews 12:26 When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.”

Two words in Greek are translated shake or shook. The first is saleuo. Saleuo conveys the sense of an unexpected and disastrous shaking of what would be thought to be stable, e.g. earth or sky. It means to shake, cause to move to and fro, to rock, to waver or totter (Acts 16:26). It also has a metaphorical sense of stirring up a crowd incite, move, agitate; and to mentally agitated individual, to cause him to be distressed, be upset, be shaken (2 Thessalonians 2:2).

The second Greek word translated shake is seio. Seio literally means to stir up, set in motion, to move back and forth, to agitate, to cause to tremble to create violent movement or disturbance. At the end of the present world order, a great shaking will occur of all the nations on the earth (Habakkuk 2:6).

It also has a more figurative sense of shaking with the idea of shock, cause to tremble with fear, to disturb in mind, agitate, to put in commotion and perturbation (Matthew 21:10, Matthew 28:4) The Greek word for earthquake or tempest is seismós.  We get the English word seismograph from seismós.

“‘Shaking’ is a metaphor for the Father’s sometimes gentle and other times not so gentle child-training, discipline. He removes what must be removed. As a consuming fire, God purifies all that is unworthy and unacceptable in those who serve Him and all that is unfit to abide in His presence” (Pentecost).

What does the Father desire from the children of the King? He seeks our love, devotion, and service. Each child of the King is unique and made for a purpose. The Father becomes our Life-coach preparing us for what He has planned for us from eternity past. As we learn to respond appropriately to His direction to get us through the difficulties and ruts of life, He takes us further and deeper into His ways. As He works out His eternal plan, we finally begin to comprehend His end goal for us in time.  

Consider Joseph. At the close of the book of Genesis, Joseph’s time of humiliation and sorrow are behind. His youthful dreams had been fulfilled. He emerged full of grace and gentleness. Joseph as a result of the handiwork of the Best-Coach ever, Joseph had become a servant-leader.

Genesis 50:20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

The Touch of the Master’s Hand

‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while

To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile.

What am I bid, good people, he cried, Who starts the bidding for me?

One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?

Two dollars, who makes it three?

Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,

But, No,

From the room far back a gray-bearded man came forward and picked up the bow,

Then wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening up the strings,

He played a melody, pure and sweet as sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer with a voice that was quiet and low,

Said What now am I bid for this old violin? As he held it aloft with its bow.

One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two? Two thousand, Who makes it three?

Three thousand once, three thousand twice, Going and gone, said he.

The audience cheered, but some of them cried, we just don’t understand.

What changed its worth? Swift came the reply. The Touch of the Master’s Hand.

And many a man with life out of tune, all battered and bruised with hardship

Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on.

He is going once, he is going twice, he is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand,

The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought by the Touch of the Master’s Hand.

– Myra Brooks Welch

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