Not sitting...Standing!

There have been so many things that I have wanted to share from the teaching time at T Bar M Family Camp. I hope I can do that over time and that God will give me the words to do it justice.
Our teacher was a guy named Todd Wagner. He is the pastor at the Watermark Community Church in Dallas, TX. He painted the picture I will share in a moment. Before that though, I want to plug something that Watermark is doing.

I have always struggled with being in the Word. I have always wanted to read the Bible through in a year, but have never found a good plan. Watermark has a good plan. Its called "The Journey" and it is a day by day reading that leads you through the Bible in one year. Here is the cool part. They send an e-mail reminder each day with the chapters to be read and a link to their website where you can download a daily thought by one of their members. These thoughts give a new slant on what you just read, a few thought provoking questions, and a tip on how that member studies the Word. It has helped me (especially lately) to not just read God's Word, but really be in it. I am daily working on transforming my life (and fail a lot!), and this really helps. Check it out.

Anyway, here is a beautiful picture. In a few places in the Bible (Hebrews 12:2, Colossians 3:1, etc.), there is this image of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God. This is an awesome picture of a Father and Son. I often imagine God with his hand on Jesus's shoulder just loving his son. (It's the father in me) But, check this out.

In Acts 7, Stephen has just finished his berating of the Sanhedrin. I mean he lit them up. Here are the final verses of Acts 7 in which Stephen pushes them over the edge:


⁵¹ “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ⁵³ who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

⁵⁴ When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

Standing! Standing at God's side! We have all these pictures of Jesus being seated at the right hand of God. Yet he stands for Stephen! I can imagine he is either cheering him on, or he sees that the Sanhedrin is going to kill him and tells God..."Lemme at 'em" (or something to that extent), or maybe he is standing to welcome Stephen home. Whatever it is, Jesus stood.

I had never seen that before. Scripture is so incredible. Things I have heard and talked about 1000 times, and yet my eyes weren't opened until I was 34...God is amazing. Continue to be in the word. Continue to seek God and he will seek you. How cool is that?

Lord, I want my life to be a sweet offering to you. So many times I fail, and yet you pick me up. I want my life to be so moving, so full of you. I want to be like Stephen, seeing Jesus stand at your side. You are awesome.