From Defeat to Redemption - Logically Speaking
Week Two of The Glass Desk Book Study
Read Chapter Two:
Monday – pages 21-23
Tuesday – pages 24-26
Wednesday – pages 27-29
Thursday – pages 30-32
Friday – pages 33-35
Saturday & Sunday – spend time with the Lord and journal answers to chapter two questions.
Here we are preparing for another work week ahead, and I still feel like last week just started. Yikes!
Anyways, I hope that each one of you has had a blessed weekend and that last week's reading and, more importantly, last week's journal questions have opened a new door between you and the Lord. New doors sometimes bring unexpected rooms with unexpected décor, but sometimes a change of scenery is just what we need so that the Holy Spirit can speak something fresh.
This week's post will be pretty quick, as will the reading compared to last week's. Please don't think that you have to ignore any previous weeks since a new week has been posted. I know there will be readers who discover these posts long after the initial read-through, so don't be discouraged about where we are or aren't in the reading.
Hop in and join the conversations at any level and any place you like. In addition, even if you haven't done the reading, don't hesitate to engage in the questions. What you have to say matters, and we want to point you to Jesus in any way that we are able.
What's the logical path one must take to travel from being defeated to being redeemed? It seems like a straightforward question that should have a straightforward answer.
You're feeling defeated, and you're tired of it. You grab the latest self-help book, and it promises to teach you how to "reclaim your happiness," or maybe you bought the other popular self-help book that promises to teach you how to "create your own happiness." Can I be candid and insert a significantly sized eye roll real quick?
You want me to create my own happiness? The person made of dust, that has a heart full of evil, and is a descendant of someone who couldn't follow one rule to avoid a particular fruit tree.
Based on Scripture, I don't think I am the most well-equipped person to make sure I stay happy. That spouse of yours, those children the Lord has blessed you with, your best friend – they are all in the same boat as you and I, and we cannot rely upon them to be our happiness bearers.
Yes, we are a new creation under Christ, and I say the things above to simply bring into perspective that we alone are not enough in the search for happiness and redemption. We can't use earthly logic to create happiness as we seek to redeem ourselves from trials and pains. It's a task not meant for us to handle on our own. The real path from defeat to redemption is utterly void of earthly logic and reason.
I hope this week's reading will help you to reconsider the source of your happiness and allow you to surrender the idols of logic and reason for good. They don't need as much time and attention as we give them. Keep the hairdryer out of the tub, look both ways before crossing the street, and all should be well if you catch my drift. 😉
Let me know what you think of the questions below.
1. Does the idea of discarding earthly logic and reasoning scare you? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever mourned an event that had yet to happen or never happened at all?
Happy reading, friends!
