Trapped in the Darkness

Trapped in the Darkness

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Senior Manager of Communities and Social Media

"…to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

Acts 26:18

As I was walking through my nature trail this week I, as I normally do, asked the Lord what I should write this week. As I passed through the chapel area of the trail the sun flashed through the leaves and caught my attention. Light. I had entered the darkness of the woods but that light caught my attention. I "filed" it away and continued my travels through the trail.

Later, I was reading through various news stories of earthquake survivors in China when one particular story jumped out at me and brought back to my mind my earlier encounter with the rising sun. The story was of a middle-aged man named Mr. Shen whose quick thinking to take cover in a doorway saved him from the fate experienced by many of his co-workers.

When interviewed, Mr. Shen recalled shouting to a co-worker to join him in the doorway when the room suddenly collapsed. The next thing he remembered was the sudden darkness that enveloped him.

What struck me in his interview was his statement, "Oh, the darkness, oh, the darkness all over. I didn't know when it was going to end."

There are people that we walk past every day that, without knowing it, are spiritually in the same condition as Mr. Shen; trapped in darkness under the weight of sin.

For Mr. Shen, the darkness crumpled under the hands of the rescuers. After 146 hours his encounter with complete and utter darkness came to an end. That darkness, however, will always leave a mark on his being.

Will you forget the darkness that seeks to crush the hope of those around you?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Find a place of complete and utter darkness and spend at least 15 minutes praying for people you know who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation.

Further Reading
Ephesians 5:8
John 12:46
1 Peter 2:9

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Engraved in His Hand

Engraved in His Hand

by Fred "Fritz" Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…"Isaiah 49:15-16

Sometimes we find ourselves in harsh circumstances. We feel isolated from the Lord and begin to ask ourselves, "Is He really there? Has He forgotten me?" Today's passage is a stark reminder that there is no way our Lord will forget us or forsake us.

Being the father of five children I have been blessed to witness the blessed scene of a mother feeding her baby. I've seen both mother and child relax and share that bond that comes through breastfeeding. It is that beautiful analogy that is drawn in Isaiah. A mother does not forget the child she is nursing, she and the baby are in a deep bond that is difficult to be ignored. Likewise, our Father in heaven is in no way going to forget His love for us. But even if a mother were to forget, the Lord proclaims that even if a mother were to forget, He never will.

Dear child of God, you will never be forgotten!

In the midst of losing your house to foreclosure, you will not be forgotten.

When worrying how you are going to deal with the high gas prices, you will not be forgotten.

When struggling to budget the grocery bill, you will not be forgotten.

God will never forget you.

Why not?

This brings us to the second half of our passage.

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…"

As we were reading this in church one Sunday my wife was quick to point out an interesting observation. She felt, and I agree, that this was a messianic prophecy.

Our names were written into the palms that would bear the nails that hung our Lord on the cross at Calvary.

Your name, my name, and that of every other believer in Christ Jesus has had our names engraved by the nails that bore our Lord to a cruel tree.

You will not be forgotten because He loves you so much that He was willing to die for you. 1 Cor. 6:20 says, "…you were bought at a price."

That price was paid on a cross between two thieves.

That price was endured until the last breath when Jesus said, "It is finished."

With that proclamation, let's turn to 1 Cor. 1:7-11 which says this:

"… We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we
despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But
this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the
dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On
him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by
your prayers."

Friend, it is our hardships which cause us to turn and rely on God. Set your hope on Him and pray for those who are in distress.

He has engraved you on His hand and He will deliver.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Do a study of the different names of the Lord and write each name on the palm of your hand. As you go throughout the day take time to pray for those who are in distress. See someone in a grocery store with a stern look? Pray for that person. See another person standing at the pumps with a furrowed brow? Pray for that person. Pray for them as the recipients in Paul's letter prayed for him.

Further Reading
On the Bottom Looking Up
He Is Our Joy!
Never Unloved

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Level the Trail

Level the Trail

by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

"Make level paths for your feet," so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless…

Hebrews 12:13-16a

My kids and I have been developing a nature path in the back woods of our property. I just love to take them back there and enjoy the sounds and smell of nature.

In the back woods trail there is an area that has holes in the ground that are mostly filled with leaves. This can be a rather treacherous area for ankles and we call it the booby trap zone. One of these days I'll have them help me bring back some buckets filled with dirt to fill in these hazardous little traps.

Today's passage brought this little area to mind. What does it mean to "make level paths for your feet?"

I think the verse is intertwined with the one that follows, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and be holy."

I think as we journey down our trail of faith there are people with whom we will come into contact. Good or bad, lengthy or brief, our journey with them will leave a mark on their lives. Will they experience healing from their interaction with us or will we sow bitterness? Our charge is to, as much as it depends on us, bring peace to them through our holy living and to make sure they are exposed to the opportunity of experiencing God's grace and salvation.

How level is your path?

Are you leaving pitfalls of bitterness, sexual immorality and activities that promote godlessness?

Start making your path level today.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Take a prayer walk in a park or on a local nature trail. Pray that God will help you to be an agent of peace to someone you have recently had a conflict with.

Further Reading

Mark 9:50

Prayer for Peace

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Is Fishing Your First Love?

Is Fishing Your First Love?

by Fred Alberti, Crosswalk.com Manager of Communities

"I'm going out to fish," Simon Peter told them, and they said, "We'll go with you." So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

John 21:3

The chill is beginning to come off the air and with it I've seen the sudden increase in the number of fishermen on the docks. It seems the fish must be biting rather nicely.
But that wasn't the case in today's story…

The disciples had recently been through some rather traumatic events in the death of their Master. They were excited, and probably a little confused, by the revelation that He was no longer dead. How did they deal with this?

They returned to their first love… fishing.

They got on a boat and set off for a night of fishing on the Sea of Tiberias. But, unlike the fishermen I've been seeing lately, they caught nothing.

Early in the morning a man from shore called to them asking if they had caught anything. When they responded that they hadn't, He instructed them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat.

I wonder if Peter was thinking back to another fruitless night. Did he think back to that day when they had taken Jesus out on the boat so He could preach to the gathering crowd? The night before had proven to be a waste of time when Jesus told them to put out in deeper water. Peter had lightly objected then saying, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:1-11).

I think John must have been thinking back, for when they cast their net on the other side as the stranger had instructed the results were much like that first account: "When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, "It is the Lord," he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea (John 21:6-7).

I imagine that Peter's heart skipped a step as he threw on his garment and jumped in the water to swim the 300 feet back to shore. Did he remember Jesus' words from that first time when He said, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men"?

This was the third time that Jesus appeared to them and I think it was probably the first time after His resurrection that Jesus had the chance to have a real heart to heart talk with Peter. He began to question Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Each time that He asked Peter the question Peter would respond in the affirmative. And each time Jesus would replied back, "Feed my lambs," "Take care of my sheep," "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-19).

I've often wondered about the significance of this repeated questioning and have always concluded that it was just Jesus' response to Peter's denying Him three times. I think I've missed something over the years. I think Jesus was also addressing Peter's first love. Jesus had called him to catch men but on this 3rd appearance what did He find Peter doing? Fishing, not for men, rather for something else… sport, hunger, money? I don't know, but it certainly wasn't fishing for men. I wonder if this was serving as a gentle reminder of what He really wanted Peter to be doing.

What sort of fish are we hoping to catch?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Take some Bible tracts and hand them out to the fishermen you find at the local fishing hole.

Further Reading

John 21

Lessons from a Fishing Boat
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