{"id":1244,"date":"2010-09-05T01:38:10","date_gmt":"2010-09-05T01:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/09\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-are-you-in-good-hands.html"},"modified":"2010-09-05T01:38:10","modified_gmt":"2010-09-05T01:38:10","slug":"sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-are-you-in-good-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/09\/sunday-inspiration-from-the-high-calling-are-you-in-good-hands.html","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling<\/em>: Are You in Good Hands?"},"content":{"rendered":"
READ Psalm 31:1-24<\/a><\/div>\n
 <\/div>\n

\nMy future is in your hands.
\n<\/p>\n

Psalm 31:15a<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em>I
\ncan still hear the television commercial’s promise echoing in my
\nmemory: “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” In fact, this slogan was
\ncreated by David Ellis, the general sales manager for Allstate
\nInsurance Company in 1950, along with the familiar logo of two hands
\nholding a car. Since 2004, Allstate’s advertising campaign asks the
\nquestion: “Are you in good hands?” <\/p>\n

So, are you? Are you in
\ngood hands? I’m not thinking here of whether your personal property is
\nadequately insured. Rather, is your life in good hands? Is your soul in
\ngood hands? Are you relying on protection and strength from
\nsomething–better, someone– who is truly reliable? <\/p>\n

I’ve been a
\nChristian for forty-five years, a pastor for the last twenty-one years.
\nYou might think I’d be able to answer the questions I just asked
\naffirmatively. Surely there have been times when I could truly say that
\nI rely fully on God, that I have placed my life in his hands. But I
\nmust confess my tendency to slip out of God’s hands so that I might put
\nmy faith in something else, like my job, or my family, or my insurance
\npolicies(!), or my country, or my investments. It’s not wrong to trust
\nthese to an extent. But if I find my sense of security in something
\nother than God, then I have set myself up for disappointment, because
\nthey will inevitably fail. <\/p>\n

When I consciously and consistently
\nput my life in God’s hands, when I live each day with the knowledge
\nthat I am relying on him and living for his purposes, I feel
\nextraordinary peace. I am set free from fear of things I cannot
\ncontrol. The fact is that you and I will only be in “good hands” when
\nthose are the loving, strong, trustworthy, tender, protective,
\nnail-scarred, gracious hands of our Lord. <\/p>\n

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: So, are you in good hands? Are you living each day with an awareness of God holding you? <\/p>\n

PRAYER<\/strong>:
\nO Lord, how good it is to entrust my life to you, to place my future,
\nmy hopes, my fears, indeed, all that I am, in your hands. Thank you for
\nprotecting me, guiding me, empowering me, healing me, and holding me. I
\nam truly in good hands when I entrust all that I am to you.<\/p>\n

Help
\nme, dear Lord, to live each day “in your hands.” When I am tempted to
\ntrust something other than you or when fear threatens my confidence,
\nkeep me in your hands. <\/p>\n

All praise be to you, gracious Lord, for your good hands! Amen<\/em><\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"high-calling-screenshot-4.jpg\"<\/span>Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?  <\/strong><\/p>\n

Here’s how . . . .<\/em><\/strong>
\nThis devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READ Psalm 31:1-24   My future is in your hands. Psalm 31:15a I can still hear the television commercial’s promise echoing in my memory: “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” In fact, this slogan was created by David Ellis, the general sales manager for Allstate Insurance Company in 1950, along with the familiar logo of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sunday-inspiration"],"yoast_head":"\nSunday Inspiration from The High Calling: Are You in Good Hands? - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1244\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}