2 Corinthians 4:10 Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Do you have a problem with always? Yes, me too. When I see the term always in scriptures I feel that sting of failure. It doesn’t seem to matter how good I am doing at any particular time in my life, as it pertains to walking by faith, always seems to apply to someone else. Always is difficult.

If I could pick one always to try and succeed at, perhaps this one would be a good one to hold true to in my life. His dying is where my sins were carried away. Now bearing in my body the knowledge or awareness of what Christ did for me that day would help me resist temptation. The awareness might help me bridle my tongue. The awareness might allow me to be more gracious to others who need more mercy than judgment. The awareness might remind me that I cannot do any of all that is asked of me without the fact that for this cause He died.

This manifest life of Christ cannot be seen if I am always putting myself forward. John the Baptist said it best when he declared that he had to recede so that Christ would be increased. I cannot do that if I am always thinking about myself. Always is easy when it comes to self.

Even as I write these words I think, “What am I trying to say?” It is so easy to slip right out of the always Jesus moment and back into self. He knows that. That’s another reason He died for us, forgiveness.

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Paul didn’t say always here but might just as well have by using the word every.

It is good that Jesus sent us a Helper.

1 Thessalonians 2:7 But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. (NASB)

Central Texas has been hit with heavy rains lately. The drought is over. Praise God. The storms have been very heavy. Saturday night found us with tornado warnings and flood alerts. Our phones went off three times during the night with the weather alerts. I had been awake since 2 A.M. and around 4 the electric power went out.

Sometime around 5 in the morning I received a call from my accountability partner. “How are you doing? Are you OK?” What a sweet thing to do, to call and check on us. That is the kind of partner I have. Well he is that and more.

“Electric is out and the rain is coming down hard but we are on high ground, so we will be alright. How are you doing?” I answered.

That’s when I heard in a calm clear voice, deeply embedded in faith, “We are standing on the roof waiting on a rescue helicopter to spot us and take us out. We lost the cars and the house is flooded.”

There is the heart of our Lord and Savior at work in one who believes with deep abiding faith, who loves as the Lord would have us. A YOU FIRST credo has been part of our church from the beginning. Never before had I seen it lived out so profoundly as this Sunday morning.

May the Lord give me the strength to live up to this shining example of Christ in my brother.