“I will push you down from the place you stand, and I will throw you down from where you’ve taken that stand … So you will return to me and I will heal you.” (From Isa 22:19, Isa 19:22)

And don’t forget dear one, having been justified by believing in me, you and I have peace with each other, through the work of your Big Brother, Jesus. It was through his work and by your belief, that you obtained the freedom to enter into the grace in which you now stand. (From Rom 5:1-2)

When we take our stand on anything other than our God, He – the LORD of Service (from the word Hosts) – will do what is in our best long term interest and pull us down from that false confidence upon which we stand. He helps us see that He alone is worthy of being our support, our God. He serves us by putting us in a place where we can readily recognize that He is better.

It is only in the freedom of grace that we can take a stand that stands.

Take your stand, sisters and brothers.

(Most all of the pictures on the blog are my own. This one however is a painting by Benton Yazzie, a self-taught artist that Sandy and I met while we were staying this summer in Mancos, Colorado just outside of Mesa Verde National Park. Click on his name if you’d like to know more about him.)