Cornerstone Church

There’s a term used in navigation called “dead reckoning.” It’s the process of calculating one's position by estimating the direction and distance traveled. You find out where you are by looking at where you’ve been. And if you want the second half of the year to be better than the first half, you need to evaluate the direction in which you’ve been living.

The average roller coaster ranges in height from 150 to 250 feet at its highest point, and travels 60 to 70 miles per hour. The average commercial airplane flies at 35,000 and travels 550 miles per hour. Yet a higher percentage of people are more nervous about a trip to Cedar Point than they are to Cleveland Hopkins Airport. What’s the deal? It all comes down to one word—desensitization. It doesn’t feel like you’re going that fast or up that high when you’re in an airplane, but it does on a roller coaster. Which is why they induce so much fear...but, it’s also why they inspire so much fun. Did you know your walk with God should feel more like going over the edge on a 300-foot coaster than a routine red-eye to Boston? It’s time for believers to REsensitize our faith and step out in risk. Because when you’re protected from the elements, you’re also protected from the thrill.

We live in some wild times. We’re available 24/7 on our smartphones. We have little to no work/life balance as a result of remote work. We know everything about everyone due to social media…I mean, is it any wonder why we’re anxious and worried? The good news is it doesn't have to stay that way if we follow the non-anxious and unworried way of Jesus.

It was Winston Churchill who stated: "Never let a good crisis go to waste”—meaning that even in a horrific situation, you can find opportunities in the obstacles. That’s good advice, especially when it comes to our fear and worry. Even in the midst of the harshest pressures of life, we can know God will walk with us to bring purpose out of the pressure.

What’s the scariest thing that you encounter the most often? Your imagination! It’s crazy how quickly we can freak ourselves out over trivial issues. But...sometimes the fears are justified. The worry is legitimate. And in that case? The worst thing we can do is brush off the fear. In fact, anxiety may actually be an indicator calling us to take action in our lives.

God likens living out our faith to the running of a race—a metaphor that overflows with connections to the Christian life. We see this analogy at play in Hebrews 12:1, but the analogy doesn't stop there. Every athlete knows that to win a race, you need a winning training regimen. And in the verse after the verse, that’s exactly what God gives to us.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us the truth: “God has a plan.” But those words don’t exactly inspire confidence in many people. “Is my cancer God’s plan? Does God even take my prayers into consideration if He already has a plan?” If you’ve ever wondered what’s the point of prayer if God already has His plan, it’s time to read the verse after the verse.

John 3:16…the King of Bible verses. Almost everyone knows it by heart. Sadly, the verse after the verse doesn’t hold the same recognition. As we keep reading, we see Scripture doesn't just emphasize the message of salvation—but the message of no condemnation. Jesus’ mission was to save, not to judge. And now it’s time for the Church to follow suit.

Jesus’ promise in Matthew 11:28 is beautiful—it’s a promise to give rest to all those who come to Him. But Jesus’ idea of “rest” isn’t about taking away the problems of life. It’s about making us stronger and content in Him, despite our circumstances. It’s about the peace that comes when we realize that if our rest is found in God, nothing can disturb it.

It’s not a stretch to say that some Bible verses loom larger than others. They’re the ones we have hanging on our walls or tattooed on our arms. They’re the verses of Scripture that we love, we memorize, we cling to. But have you ever stopped to consider: “What about the verse after the verse?” I mean, there’s Scripture that immediately follows all of our favorite, most well-known verses. And in many cases, the verse after the verse grants us a deeper understanding of the context and meaning of these well-known passages, and how they apply to our lives. It’s time we stop settling for a sliver of Scripture, and open our minds and spirits to the fullness of God’s message to us through his Word.

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Outside of John 3:16, there may not be a more memorable verse than the one found in Philippians 4:13. Paul writes: “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength.” It’s a wonderful declaration about the power of God. But as we continue reading, we find out that help doesn’t just come from God above us—help comes from friends around us.

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https://www.cornerstonechurch.info/archiveblog/friends-in-low-places