I cried out

Today was a bad day. Though inappropriate and sort of impossible to tell you exactly why, I was searching for God. Praying and seeking I stumbled on to Rubel Shelly's website. I read this article. I did not read it all at once. I read a little, went away, digested, and came back for more. I did this several times. At one point Rubel referred to Colossians 3 and suggested it be read from the Message.

Today, Pauls words to the church in Colosse struck my heart. Here they are ...

He Is Your Life
1So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. 2Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. 3Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life. 4When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you'll show up, too--the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ. 5And that means killing off everything connected with that way of death: sexual promiscuity, impurity, lust, doing whatever you feel like whenever you feel like it, and grabbing whatever attracts your fancy. That's a life shaped by things and feelings instead of by God. 6It's because of this kind of thing that God is about to explode in anger. 7It wasn't long ago that you were doing all that stuff and not knowing any better. 8But you know better now, so make sure it's all gone for good: bad temper, irritability, meanness, profanity, dirty talk. 9Don't lie to one another. You're done with that old life. It's like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you've stripped off and put in the fire. 10Now you're dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. 11Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. 12So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. 13Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. 14And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it. 15Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness.
16Let the Word of Christ--the Message--have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! 17Let every detail in your lives--words, actions, whatever--be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. 18Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honor the Master. 19Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don't take advantage of them. 20Children, do what your parents tell you. This delights the Master no end. 21Parents, don't come down too hard on your children or you'll crush their spirits. 22Servants, do what you're told by your earthly masters. And don't just do the minimum that will get you by. Do your best. 23Work from the heart for your real Master, for God, 24confident that you'll get paid in full when you come into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you're serving is Christ.

I will end with a quote from the end of the article of Rubel's I mentioned above:

Are you worried about the same things that caused such distress in Isaiah's day? War? Terrorism? Economic injustice? The plight of the poor? Too much religious ritual and too little life transformation? Too much darkness in your world and too few shafts of light? Then the word of God for you today is that you take heart in his love, his zeal, his power. He dispels the gloom of those in distress. He knows your needs and will not abandon you. Just as he brought Good King Hezekiah as a green sprout out of a dead stump in Judah, he still sees life and possibilities for you. Maybe there is somebody close at hand or about to appear. . . a friend to reassure you, an even better friend to prick your conscience, a doctor to help restore health, an advocate to plead your case in court. Perhaps. But this much is absolutely certain: King Jesus has been born of Mary, suffered your rejection and faced Satan in death, only to rise triumphant in resurrection. Your faith in him is your promise of participation in the renewal of all things, the healing and restoration of all things. The zeal of the Lord Almighty has accomplished it for him, and neither Satan nor any dark power he can bring against you can deny your access to it

If you stumbled on this blog seeking, I hope the words of God through these servant men will be the salve that soothes your broken heart. They were just that for me.


Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. Psalm 107:6