Rely On God

            “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia.  We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death.  But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.  He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.  On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.” 2 Corinthians 1:8-10

            Paul doesn’t tell us what the peril was that he and his comrades thought would bring about their deaths.  One thing we do know, though, he considered it so life-threatening that he felt as if God had raised him from the dead.  To be alive and tell of this incident was proof that God had carried them through an impossible ordeal.

            Indeed, there were many incidents like this in the life of the apostle Paul.  So many, in fact, that just reading about them impresses me with the amount of faith this man possessed.  No human could endure the hardships that Paul was put through and keep going unless someone with divine power were alongside of him directing his path. 

            And this is exactly what Jesus promised just before He ascended into heaven.  The closing words of Matthew’s gospel are to bolster our faith in God’s desire and ability to secure our lives.  “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  There it is!  The ultimate fulfillment of the name Immanuel (God With Us).  The Holy Spirit whom Jesus sends to all who are cleansed by His blood, is God with us (right inside of us) to guide us through life and back to God, the Father. Paul trusted in this divine decree and lived his life in full assurance that God would definitely rescue him in the end (2 Timothy 1:12).

            We all have this same promise from Jesus today.  Those of us who have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27) and continue to walk in His light (1 John 1:7) can receive comfort to know that He has guaranteed us safe passage into eternal life.  No matter what happens in this life, no matter how perilous or life-threatening, God’s children have a new home awaiting them.  What it will take to believe this and act accordingly, though, is our commitment to allow God to lead direct our paths.  Then we will have the courage and foresight to rely on Him to help us get through anything.

Doug

I’m Thankful For . . .

     The Bible is full of passages encouraging God’s people to be thankful for the benefits of being among His family.  The reason for this, as I see it, is that thankfulness produces loving service.  Jesus claimed this as His purpose (Mark 10:45) and our gratitude leads us to imitate Him in this way.

     Yet I know so many that have been distracted by Satan to focus mainly on their problems and frustrations.  Their thankfulness and gratitude have taken a back seat and they are unable to truly consider anything to be thankful for.

     To help you, I would like to offer you a list of blessings that I think of whenever I get discouraged.  I strive to be thankful for them so that I can keep from falling prey to Satan’s discouraging ways.

I’m Thankful for . . .

     My Salvation in Jesus Christ:

            that I am justified from sin;

            that I am being sanctified through God’s Spirit;

            that I am a child of God.

     The Countless Blessings of life:

            for my wife, children and extended family;

            for my health (it can always be worse);

            for a loving spiritual family - the church;

     God’s Constant Care:

            He takes care of my emotional needs;

            He takes care of my spiritual needs;

            He sees to my physical needs.

            And He gives me more than I need in all of these areas.

     My Future Home:

            that I am a citizen of Heaven;

            that Jesus has prepared a place for me;

            that I am an heir of God’s promises.

     I could go on and on.  But I find that when I get to this point in my list, most of my fears and doubts disappear.  It is truly helpful to follow the advice in a popular hymn that we all sing:  “Count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings, see what God has done.  

     And it also helps to remember a good piece of advice I was given long ago:

            “It’s not happy people who are thankful;

            It is thankful people who are happy.”

Doug

God Will Fight For Us

            One of the most difficult things to learn about faith is that it is NOT easy. Being willing to believe, trust and act according to a Being that can’t be sensed takes a tremendous amount of courage and resolve – mainly because we may be called to do what has never been done (or thought of) before.  That’s why the great heroes of the faith (Hebrews 11) were so blessed.  They were willing to allow God to use them to do unheard-of things.

            One excellent example of difficult faith is found in 2 Chronicles 20.  King Jehoshaphat and the nation of Judah were facing a dire crisis.  An enemy army was on their doorstep before they could mount a legitimate defense against them.  With their backs to the wall and completely out of viable options, the king did something extraordinary – he went to God in prayer.  It may not seem to have been the correct war strategy from a human standpoint: after all the lives of thousands upon thousands were in his hands right then.  Yet God brought them success because this action showed true faith:

                        The king’s prayer claimed YHWH as their God (6, 7, 12);

                        He expressed their inability to succeed without His help (12);

                        He admitted that they had no idea what to do (12);

                        And Israel submitted to accepting whatever outcome God decided upon (12).

            The real faith issue came in responding to God’s answer (14-17).  First of all His reply came through a prophet.  God said (I’m paraphrasing), “This isn’t your fight; you won’t have to do anything; let me take care of it.”  Could this message really be true?  But since there was no time to make sure whether or not this guy was telling the truth or just making it up, they had to follow through on what he said.

            Also, their faith had to believe that when they marched out to where the enemy was encamped God would indeed do all of the fighting.  “I don’t have to do any fighting?  God will fight this battle?”  Their courage was evident in that they did march out.  The difficulty of their faith showed in the fact that they were singing and worshiping all the way to the front.  And they really didn’t have to fight.  As it turned out, all they had to do was to watch God work, mop up after the enemy finished killing themselves, and proclaim God’s glory when they returned home.

            If God has ever proved anything to us humans all throughout history it has to be that He will indeed fight for us.  When we claim Him as our own, His Spirit keeps us in His care. When we tap into His power to persevere, His Spirit provides the strength we need to get through any challenge. When we follow His guidelines toward the goal and keep our eyes fixed on Christ, then there is no way we can fail (Rom. 8:31-39).

Doug

When It Seems Impossible

          Many of the miracles recorded in the Bible came at a time when an answer from God was thought to be impossible.  Just when things appeared to be hopeless, God stepped in and provided what was needed.  Time and time again, His providence and care arrived just when those involved deemed a solution to be improbable.

          When it looked like everybody was just too sinful, God saved Noah’s family in an ark.  When it appeared there would be no heir to Abraham’s estate, Sarah became pregnant.  When the Israelites saw no way of escape from the Egyptians, the Red Sea parted.  When their throats became dry in the wilderness, water poured from a rock.  Gideon and a motley band of 300 unarmed regulars stood and watched a vast army kill one another trying to flee from them.  A widow thought she was going to eat one last meal and then die until Elijah showed up and extended her meager rations.  And who will forget the defeated attitude of eleven disciples who thought Satan had won a great victory until the resurrected Jesus stood in their presence celebrating with them?

          What we should learn from these lessons is that God does His best work when we think a given situation is totally impossible.  His track record on coming through at the most unlikely time is perfect.  He does this because these are the times when we have to recognize that He brought about the victory – we were powerless and clueless to do anything.

          So when you have to go on without a certain loved one, remember the One who has promised never to leave your side.  When you’re called upon to face an uncertain trial, allow God (and His people) to encourage you to persevere.  When you don’t know how a situation will ever turn out in your favor, trust God who enjoys doing “impossible” things to show up right on time and provide you with another proof of His love, kindness, mercy and care.

Doug

No Pretenses

            We know how to behave when our reputation or our freedom is on the line.  We know the right things to do, the right things to say, how to be tactful and polite.  Yet, sometimes, we get caught with our guard down and just one little slip of the tongue, or that one nasty gesture, or an uncontrolled, mean-spirited leer causes a conflict that we may never recover from.  Since we are human and prone to mess up on occasion, it is necessary to be reminded often of how we are to act in all situations.  This is all the more important since Christians are to reflect the image of God to a lost and dying world.  If we’re not careful to show Jesus in the proper light, we will be in danger of giving a false impression or faulty view of God and His purpose for every person.

            For example, when Aaron made the golden calf in the wilderness and called it YHWH (Exodus 32:5), he caused the Israelites to see Him as another of the many idols worshiped by the Egyptians.  And when God’s people turned to idolatry and claimed to be worshiping YHWH, they blasphemed His Name among the Gentiles (Isaiah 52:5; Micah 3:11; Romans 2:24).  Today when Christians act, and talk, and think like the pleasure-seekers around them, they give a false impression of God’s holiness; they actually promote the negative views of Christianity, church leaders, and what they call “organized religion” that are so prevalent in the movies, television shows, and other mass media.  In effect, they have caused the name of God to be blasphemed by claiming the Name, but not living by what that Name stands for.  In essence, the prejudice experienced today against anything religious has come in response to those who practice their religion under false pretenses.

            The church, God’s kingdom, has always had a difficult task to achieve.  From its inception, its members have been called upon to show their world a different way to live, think, behave, serve, etc.  The Apostle Paul admits that our message has been nothing short of ridiculous to outsiders.  He uses the word “scandal” to describe how outsiders feel about the gospel (1 Cor. 1:18, 23). 

            This is the reason for all of the lists the New Testament writers provide in their letters.  It’s imperative for us to strive to behave because the church just doesn’t need any more embarrassing situations to answer for.  We already have 2 strikes against us; our backs are already up against the wall; we’re already hanging by a limb (and any other clichés you can think of).  We must get into the habit of living the way we know is right (and encouraging all of our fellow Christians to do the same).  We must practice our religion on a daily basis, free from any pretenses that might be perceived by a suspicious public as being selfish, or derogatory, or insincere, or hypocritical.

            As Paul’s inspired words from Colossians 3 encourage, let’s get good at setting our hearts and minds on things above (spiritual, godly matters) where Christ is seated next to God (1-4).  This will help us avoid Satan’s influences to satisfy earthly, selfish desires.  Put to death [murder] the disgusting sinful urges that bombard our minds on a daily basis (5-12).  The world knows that these are not Christian behavior.  Show forth God’s attributes to the best of your ability (13-17). Influence others to see how God’s ways work to improve lives, not to hinder identity and meaning.  And devote yourselves to growing in your relationship with God so that you can have the strength to keep trying whenever you mess up; to keep striving when it seems impossible to succeed; to be a light for what is good and right in a dark and dismal world.

            Live the Christian life with no pretenses.  Help those seeking the Savior to get on the right road with us; the only one that leads back to God who is calling us home.

Doug

Our Source of Strength

     I’ve heard stories about people who, in moments of crisis, are able to muster an amount of super-human strength.  A man is able to lift a car off of someone stuck underneath it.  Workmen tunnel through rock to rescue those trapped inside a collapsed mine shaft.  A soldier carries a wounded comrade for miles to a field hospital.

     Where does this extraordinary strength come from?  Why can’t we use it more often for ordinary problems of life?  Can you imagine the great things we would be able to do if we could just tap into this resource at will? 

     The Bible tells us often that we do have access to a tremendous amount of strength every moment of every day.  But it isn’t where we would usually look for it.  It doesn’t reside within us.  There is a divine power that is graciously given to us by God.  And it is available to all of those who are in Christ.  Because it is only for those who are housing God’s Spirit (see Acts 2:38; Romans 8:9-11; 2 Corinthians 6:19-20).

     Sin and fear blind our minds from being able to see and appreciate the sheer power afforded us by the Holy Spirit: sin, because we have been distracted from focusing on our true goal - Jesus (Hebrews 12:3); and fear, because we don’t fully understand or appreciate God’s forgiveness nor His desire to surround us with His constant presence.  But for those who are being transformed into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), getting rid of our sin and overcoming fear by faith, we have at our disposal an abundant power to do extraordinary things (see Philippians 4:13).

     Our problem is in understanding what the source of this great power is.  When we think that it is something we have to accomplish and provide, we fail.  However, when we acknowledge that our ability to do anything in life comes only by the grace of God and any good thing we are able to accomplish comes through His Spirit motivating us, then we have enormous power to succeed beyond all expectations. 

     This is why we are to do all things to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).  He ensures our success especially when we are hard pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down (2 Corinthians 4:7-9).  Our success at anything in life is only possible when He is the source of our strength.

Doug

Depending Upon God

            Do you know how close we all came to not having one of the most awesome prophecies of the beginning of Christ’s church?  If it weren’t for the faith and courage of Daniel, we might have missed out on God’s pinpointing the time of His kingdom’s arrival.  But, fortunately, Daniel was willing to be used by God and the Jewish people were prepared for the coming of the Messiah.

            The prophecy about which I speak is found in Daniel 2.  God had actually revealed it through a dream to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.  Being the insecure and suspicious person he was, the king (very wisely) required his enchanters to tell him the dream and then interpret it for him.  He was going to be sure that they didn’t just make something up.  Unfortunately, no human has ever been able to do such a thing.  In a fit of rage, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the execution of ALL the wise men within his realm.  This, by the way, would include Daniel and his three friends.

            When Daniel heard the king’s order, he asked for time which he used for prayer to God with his friends.  They asked for wisdom in helping interpret the king’s dream, knowing that God was the only One who could do what the king asked for.  When God revealed to them the contents of the dream and its interpretation, they spent time thanking God for His love and care.

            Now Daniel had the courage to stand before Nebuchadnezzar and glorify God with the answer he longed for.  And in that answer, God provided the timing for the coming of the Messiah (Jesus) and His kingdom (the church).  During the time of the Roman kings, God was going to establish His kingdom that would fill the whole earth (Daniel 2:44).

            The Jewish people were looking for the Messiah when Jesus was walking the earth, teaching, performing miracles and dying for the sin of the world.  And 3,000 were ready for it 50 days after His resurrection fulfilling God’s prophecy in Daniel 2. 

            What do you think would have happened if Daniel and his friends had panicked, or given up, or tried to figure all this out on their own?  Think of how much more God could do for everyone around us today if we were to turn to Him for help rather than trying to work things out by ourselves.  We were not designed to go through life alone.  Put your dependence fully on the Lord God and be amazed at what He is able to accomplish through you.

Doug