"LOOK UP" for ANSWERS

In order for an athlete to be all he or she can be, one of the criteria is to sometimes look down,  to sometimes look around and to often LOOK UP!  Coach teaches his basketball players that successful ball handling means LOOKING UP. 

Sportmoms do the same . . . we LOOK UP the most reasonable price for our purchases, we LOOK UP the next game address on our GPS, we LOOK UP an illness or injury on the internet, we LOOK UP in amazement at some of our athlete's accomplishments, (add your own LOOK UP list here!) and we, at some point, may LOOK UP to our own child as they grow right past us in stature as well as knowledge!   

Jesus came to bring us into a LOOK UP relationship with our Creator.  This often involves considering what we carry into the present, the condition we find ourselves in at the present, and ultimately the condition we carry with us into our future.  

LOOK UP for the PAST:  Do you carry un-resolved  or a difficult-to-understand condition from the past?  This could be in your physical body,  in your memories or a spiritual issue that you constantly war over.  Christ came to heal whenever, wherever and however - even on the Sabbath - which "was against the rules" (as the old Mary Had A Little Lamb rhyme goes).  On that recorded day in history there was a woman present who was so twisted and bent over with arthritis that she couldn't even look up...and she had been afflicted with this for the past eighteen years! She looked up to Jesus for healing even though she couldn't physically look up to Him.  Here is the account . . .  

"When Jesus saw her, he called her over (and said) 'Woman, you're free!' He laid hands on her and suddenly she was standing straight and tall, giving glory to God."   Luke 13:10 TM  

Jesus understood her need and gave her the ability to LOOK UP with her body as she had done in her spirit. E.E. Cummings, a beat poet from the sixties, put it this way. . . 

"To understand is to "stand under" - which is to LOOK UP . . . which is a good way to understand."  

LOOK UP for the PRESENT:  Where ever we find ourselves right now,  whatever our circumstances Jesus is there to meet us.  Paul the Apostle was changed for life because he followed the command from a respected Jewish leader to LOOK UP!   Here is the account . . .  

"And that's when I met Ananias, a man with a sterling reputation in observing our laws—the Jewish community in Damascus is unanimous on that score. He came and put his arm on my shoulder. 'LOOK UP,' he said. I looked, and found myself looking right into his eyes—I could see again!" Acts 22:12 TM
 
LOOK UP for the FUTURE:  What is held in the days and hours to come?  We may ask, "Can I count on you, Lord?"  Abram, who would be called Abraham, was taken aside by the Lord and given this LOOK UP advice . . .  

“LOOK UP into the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”  Genesis 15:5  NLT  

Oh, what an amazing impact Abram was to have on our world for it was through his lineage that the Son of God would come to us and the birth of a the nation of Israel would be accomplished.  It was in LOOKING UP to the heavens that his future was revealed.  

This LOOK UP business is important for every part of our lives - past, present and future!  May we find ourselves in the LOOK UP mode as we seek answers to our life-induced situations.  

Blessings . . . as you LOOK UP and LIVE!

Click on the "BEHIND THE BENCH" blog at theabove tab to read about Coach's BASKETBALL EYES.
 
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