Leaning In - Getting Back to Basics When Life is in Upheaval - Part 2: Diagnosing the Problem -(A) Too Much Information

In this series it is my intention to talk about the basics when it comes to our Christian faith. In recent years it has become more clear to me that we need to regularly come back to the truths on which our faith is based. This has become even more evident in our current situation with so much information coming from every direction to the point where we find confusion and frustration becoming a regular part of our lives. I find myself asking: what has happened to my peace, my hope, and my joy? Why am I feeling so discouraged and angry?

Image by Lukas Bieri from Pixabay

I’d like to look at four areas I believe are contributing to our slide away from the basics of our Christian faith: Too Much Information, Too Many Things to Do, Too Much Isolation, and Too Little Time Spent with God. This week we are going to narrow in on TMI.

Too Much Information - Before this current age of the IPhone most of our information was delivered via the television or the newspaper. News stories were typically reported after something happened and television kept information buffered in a blanket of what was appropriate to show or talk about. Obviously, over time things became much more open and sensationalized, but there were still parameters surrounding what sort of information was appropriate for the public to view or read. Crime reporting, accidents and tragedies didn’t talk about or show every sordid detail. The truth was presented, but with respect and concern for the victims and the audience.

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

Today we are spoon fed every detail about every crime. We are given “truth” that is slanted to whatever reality the media, or the social influencer deems important. News is no longer reported, but dramatized in order to sway the public’s opinion in one direction or another. Profanity is rampant. Death is celebrated, and perversion is an alternative lifestyle. Nothing goes unsaid, and hate speech is everywhere. To find light and real facts they have to be dug for like looking for buried treasure.

What does the Bible have to say about all of this? Let’s take a look.

“1 I will sing of lovingkindness and justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the work of those who fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not maintain his position before me.
8 Every morning I will destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to cut off from the city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.”

— Psalm 101:1-8 (NASB 1995)

This psalm was written by David, a man who was familiar with both sides of treachery, and deceit, but through his sin, and his repentance God remained faithful to him and continued to bless his rule as King of Israel.

Image by Webster2703 from Pixabay

If we truly look at the information that is coming at us we begin to see so much of it is worthless, perverse, slanderous, prideful, deceitful and false. Unfortunately, many times we take it in as gospel truth. If it’s on social media it must be true; if it is a video recorded at the time it must be real. If the mainstream news is reporting it I must believe it. As Christ followers we are commanded to bring everything back to the truth of God’s word.

The book of Proverbs was written by King Solomon. In it he is writing to his son to encourage him to follow the commands and teachings of God; to pursue godly wisdom; and to not lean on his own understanding.

“1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth
And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty
And your vats will overflow with new wine.
11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord
Or loathe His reproof,
12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves,
Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.”

— Proverbs 3:1-12 (NASB 1995)

This proverb tells us that if we keep God’s commands and pursue His wisdom we will have peace. It also encourages us to hang on to both kindness and truth as with them we will find favor with God and with our fellow human beings. Verses 5 - 8 remind us that we are to trust God, not our own understanding. We are to acknowledge Him and He will make our paths straight. Our own thoughts and ideas, or the thoughts and ideas of others are not to be the wisdom we lean into, but we are to lean in to His wisdom. We are to fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

Image by erwin bosman from Pixabay

Whatever information we are allowing into our homes and into our hearts is going to have an impact on how we think, how we view others and how we view God. If you are struggling with fear and anxiety, anger or despair, perhaps it is time to take a social media break or at least start really looking at what accounts, news and influencers we are listening to.

Ask yourself these questions:

After I read this or watch this do I feel uplifted or dragged down?

Is this information confirming what I know to be true, or is it causing me to question?

Is watching this account regularly making me feel angry or hostile towards a people group, or towards individuals of a certain faith, skin color or persuasion? Or is it helping me to see every person as someone deserving of God’s love and salvation?

Our lives are meant to be God’s lights in a dark world. To allow outside information to affect that light is to allow our light to be hidden under a basket.

“14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

— Matthew 5:14-16 (NASB 1995)

Next time you turn on the news, or open up social media be sure to think about what ideas, views and thoughts are being talked about. It is not wrong to hear opposing views or to question our beliefs, but we must always bring them back to God’s truth in His word.

Next time we will look at how being too busy can affect our lives and cause our basic beliefs to get waylaid.

Leaning In - Getting Back to Basics when Life is in Upheaval - Part 1: A Personal Journal Entry

The following account is taken from one of my own personal prayer journal entries. It is in the fires of upheaval that God does His refining work. For me to rant and rave against that work does not benefit, but when I come to Him with sincerity and a searching heart He uses that refiners fire to bring me into an ever deeper and more joyful relationship with Him. A good friend used to say, “God knows what He’s about.” How true that is. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.” I Corinthians 13:12.

Image by Franz P. Sauerteig from Pixabay

(Pieces used in this journal entry came from a short video by Alistair Begg which you can view here, and from an article by A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, titled Himself. You can read that by clicking on the link.)

May 6, 2026

Lord, my God, my Savior, my King; You are an amazing God. You are the only, One True God. You are above all. You are the One True King; the One True Lord. You are the Creator of all that lives and of all that keeps us living. You are the Creator of the universe. How amazing You are. How good Your works are. How beautiful is Your Word. How holy is the Triune God; the Ternion in Sole - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

You have continually provided. Thank you for the provision of all things needed for life and godliness…through the true knowledge of You, who called us by Your glory and excellence; for by these You have granted to me Your precious and magnificent promises, so that by them I might become a partaker of Your divine nature. ( 2 Peter 1:1-4) Wow!

Lord, I certainly do not feel that I have been living as a partaker of Your divine nature. I have been struggling for months: physically, mentally, emotionally. If I partake in Your divine nature should this be so?

Image by Tern70 from Pixabay

You gave me two things to look at this morning: Himself by A.B. Simpson, and the short take by Alistair Begg on Proverbs 24:10. Both seem to be redirecting me back to You. It is You who work and move in the world and in our lives. (Philippians 2:13)

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

— Galatians 2:20 (NASB 1995)

It is no longer I who live…but You live in me. I believe this to be true, but lately grief, loss, illness, and sadness have left me feeling empty. I know, you are still there, still in me; You will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5-6). Why then, do I feel this nothingness?

“Never mind, my child, you have nothing. But I am perfect power; I am perfect love; I am faith; I am your life. I am the preparation for the blessing, and then I am the blessing too. I am all within and without and all forever.””

— Himself - A.B. Simpson

Lord, what does this mean? How am I to live? How am I to move forward? I feel so tired…exhausted…

“Come to me!” (Matthew 11:28-30)

I am trying to do that now. I come to You and lay my burdens at Your feet.

Image by Edward Lich from Pixabay

“I will make known to you the path of life; in My presence is fullness of joy; in my right hand are pleasures forever.” (Psalm 16:11)

“For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

— John 16:1 (NASB 1995)

Lord, these words, Your words, are reminding me, once again that all of life is in You; all I need and want is in You; that fullness of both God the Father, and the Holy Spirit combined with the fully Man; all of that fullness is mine to partake of, to learn from, to be comforted by, to be led by, to be loved by; to lean into, to know deeper and deeper.

Lord, don’t let me go. Don’t let my mind, heart, soul or body ever forget that in You is all the fullness of the God-head bodily, and You are all and everything I need for life and godliness.

Lord, you see my shortcomings, my sins, my coping mechanisms, which all pale in comparison to You. Help me out of the hole I am in. Raise me from the dead!

In Jesus’ precious name, and by His shed blood, Amen.

The Work of Suffering - Part 3: Three Areas to Explore

I have been working through a series on the work of suffering. I was inspired by Oswald Chamber’s devotional My Utmost for His Highest and you can see the original post here. Part 2 looked at the necessity of leaning into the truth of God’s word, our foundation, during difficult times. This week I want to look at three areas where the work of suffering becomes essential.

Image by Malachi Witt from Pixabay

Belief.

Suffering has a way of honing our belief systems. I have looked at the word belief before on this blog, but let’s review. (You can see that original post here. ) The word belief is defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary as a NOUN: a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing; something believed or held as true; conviction of the truth of some statement or reality of some being or phenomenon especially when based on examination of evidence. The VERB state of belief would be believe which is define as: Transitive - to consider as true or honest; to accept the word or evidence of; to hold as an opinion; Intransitive - to accept something as true, genuine or real; to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion; to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of someone or something.

Image by Christian Calhoun from Pixabay

We know the Bible talks a lot about belief. It is essential in our faith that we believe in a God we do not see based on what we know from His Holy word, and on the revelation of the Spirit, the third person of the trinity. We also have the words of Jesus, His son, in the four Gospels.

For instance, reading through another of Oswald Chamber’s devotionals recently he used the following two verses, two days in a row.

“...for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,”
6 so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?””

— Hebrews 13:5b-6 (NASB 1995)

When I am going through difficulty and I approach Scripture, I need to ask myself, “Do I believe what God is saying in these verses? We will talk about trust in a moment, but for now, just think about this idea of belief. Do I believe…what? Do I believe God is real? Do I believe He created the universe? Do I believe the Bible is His holy words written down by men moved by His Spirit? Do I believe what those words say? Do I believe in the person and work of Jesus? Do I believe He was born to a virgin, walked as a man on this earth, gathered a group of disciples who became the foundation of the church, died on a cross and rose again? Do I believe that when I accept Jesus as my Lord and savior that I receive the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, and through Him I am able to learn, and grow and find all that I need for life and godliness?

“ 1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. ”

— 2 Peter 1:1-3 (NASB 1995)

Trust.

It may seem that the words trust and believe are the same thing, but this is where we get into the nuances of words. To me, the word belief is a stance. I am placing my feet on the solid foundation of God’s word and its truth. The word trust belies something more relational. Websters Online Dictionary defines trust as: assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. If I trust someone I am choosing to rely on them. This is where I believe many Christians struggle. We can be standing on the edge of the Promised land, but never step into it. I can believe God’s word, plan and purpose for this world and for me. I can know scripture, attend numerous services at my church, and spend my weekends serving those less fortunate, but if I don’t trust God, all of it becomes merely works that I am hoping to stack in my favor. Trust moves us from merely standing on the foundation, to opening the door to God’s movement and work in our lives and the lives of others around us.

Image by vivienviv0 from Pixabay

“38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.
40 But Martha was distracted with [q]all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.”
41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.””

— Luke 10:38-42 (NASB 1995)

If you have been a Christian for a while, and have been in a Bible study, or heard a sermon preached on the above passage, you probably know this piece of scripture is not without controversy. I do not mean controversy pertaining to whether it is true or not, but as to whether Martha was really out of line for questioning the Lord and wanting Jesus to reprimand her sister for not helping her with the meal. However, what does Jesus say?

“Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chose the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

The point I want to make is Mary had trusted Jesus. She wasn’t worried about the meal, or the work, she was leaning in to the relationship with her Lord and teacher, and eventually savior, Jesus. This is such an important point, and I am sorry this is so long, but I feel it is important to understand; without the movement from belief to trust we will never become the sons and daughters we are meant to be.

Read this article form the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (UK), The Tree Stump Prayer: When Billy Graham Overcame Doubt. I learned of this prayer years ago when I was attending Moody Bible Institute and the story still impresses me. Billy Graham, the greatest evangelist of the 20th century had doubts? Wow! He did, until he took the step from belief to trust.

Peace.

The last area I want to look at having to do with the work of suffering has to do with peace. Suffering easily leads to anxiety and fear. It is completely understandable. It doesn’t matter what sort of suffering you are going through: chronic illness, newly diagnosed cancer, impending divorce or job loss, losing a loved one, a home, or being in the throes of trying to maneuver government websites to sign up for Social Security and Medicare; all of these can produce stress, anxiety and fear. If we do not believe and entrust ourselves to God and his truth we will not have peace.

I talked about peace back in February in my Peace in the Chaos series. You can see those pieces here: Part 1, Part 2a, Part 2b, and Part 2c. Being able to have peace during difficult and chaotic times is essential in the growth and stability of our faith. The only true way to attain this peace is to abide, abide, abide in Christ.

Image by Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay

“1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.
10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
11 These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.””

— John 15:1-11 (NASB 1995)

This passage really lays it all out. If we abide in Christ we will be standing firm on the beliefs that are foundational to our faith; we will be entrusting ourselves to the vine dresser, which is God the Father; we will have His peace, and the most amazing thing is that even in the difficulty of pruning and cutting us back we will bear fruit. I would like to do a further study on this passage at a later time, but we can certainly see the benefit to our lives during suffering when we abide in Him.

Sorry, this series has taken so long, and I hope that it has benefited you. My spouse and I have been going through some struggles, but I am thankful that I have a loving Father who keeps turning me back to Him.

Have a great week.

The Work of Suffering - Part 2: Leaning in to His Truth

This is a long post, so grab your coffee and sit a while as I share our own story and what I have learned about the necessity of leaning in to God’s truth when we are suffering.

Back in March, my spouse and I decided to take a short get away, hoping that it would give us a chance to rest and relax from the difficulties that had us reeling: the death of my mom, illness, and the loss of my husband’s job. We prayed that God would give us a break from the troubles and give us time to recoup before anything else went wrong.

Our plan was to leave in the morning and drive about three hours, stopping half way to get lunch and maybe spend time at a coffee shop or bookstore. The morning we were to leave my spouse started having terrible diarrhea. I adjusted course and packed a lunch that I hoped would be more suitable to his digestive tract. We did not get to stop at a coffee shop since it was getting later, and we just wanted to get to our VRBO before supper. We got to our VRBO where I made our supper instead of eating out, to help my spouse’s irritated system.

Image by sork from Pixabay

The next day we went into the nearby town to go to our favorite coffee shop, where we hoped to spend some quality time relaxing, eating lunch and doing stuff on our computers. When we got there a sign on the door said they were closing early. We were disappointed but able to get lunch. Unfortunately, when my husband tried to get on his computer it was completely dead. No amount of sitting on the charger was bringing it back to life.

We tried to course correct and run to a couple of thrift shops nearby. While we were in the Goodwill, the wind that had been growing steadily worse was beginning to cause lights to flicker and go on and off. Upon returning to our VRBO we had no electricity and couldn’t even flush the toilet since the water pump was electric. We honestly began to feel as though we were being thrown to the wolves. What started as a desire for relaxation and rest turned into the weekend from hell with more physical problems, a leaking tire on the car, a crazy windstorm that took out a good portion of that county’s electricity and other issues.

Image by ACWells from Pixabay

Obviously we made it home. Probably the weirdest thing that happened was as soon as we got home, my spouse’s computer came back to life. Really??? The above photo could have been my husband when we got home and his computer started working again. Ha, ha.

I had a crisis of faith on that weekend. I have never struggled with my faith, and with my belief that God is good like I did that weekend. I was sad, and angry. Why couldn’t an all powerful God just make a few things go our way and give us the rest and relaxation we so desperately wanted and felt we needed?

On our way home we stopped at a park and had a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day, but as I sat at that picnic table I found myself unraveling, because I never wanted to question God’s goodness or His trustworthiness, but I was. I began to feel that it must be me. I must be sinning. I must be guilty of burying bad attitudes and thoughts that made me no longer worthy of His attention and love. I cried because I had always had this close, personal relationship with Him, and now there I was questioning everything because we were suffering.

“It’s so difficult, isn’t it? To see what’s going on when you’re in the absolute middle of something? It’s only with hindsight we can see things for what they are.”

— S.J. Watson, Before I Go to Sleep

It was there in that crisis of faith that God, once again opened my heart and mind to His deeper layers. At that picnic table I made a choice. I decided in my heart that what I needed to do was go back to His word and remind myself of His truth, because that alone is the unshakable foundation on which we base our faith. When we start to question and doubt His word, we begin to question and doubt His character. My friends, God is not fickle. He does not change.

“17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.”

— James 1:17-18 (NASB 1995)

When going through difficult times it is good to pause and evaluate how we are handling it, and to ask ourselves a couple of questions:

1 - Am I suffering due to my choices? In a society where the blame game has become common place it is easy to fall into the mindset that life is unfair and it has nothing to do with my choices. However, choices do matter, and individual responsibility is a reality.

“13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.”

— Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)

This Old Testament verse is clear. Our duty as God’s creation is to fear our Maker and keep His commandments. Whether we do or don’t all of our deeds good or bad, out in the open or done in secret will be brought before God and will be judged.

“3 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 6:23 (NASB 1995)

The choice to accept or reject Christ does lead to the suffering of eternal death, so no matter how easy life is on this planet suffering will come.

Image by Romy from Pixabay

In addition our choices can bring suffering into other people’s lives. Take for instance someone who is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Many times they go from one place to another without anything happening, but there are many accidents and even deaths caused by people who drove while they were drunk or high. If they injure or kill a person through an accident their choice is causing another whole community to suffer: parents, siblings, coworkers, friends…

2. What truths about God is this suffering causing me to question? Asking questions during difficulty is completely normal and okay. God is big enough to handle all of our doubts, worries and fears. If we go back to the Psalms of David we see, quite often, the once shepherd now King of Israel, questioning God. Psalm 13 is probably one of the most popular of David’s questioning psalms.

“1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

— Psalm 13 (NASB 1995)

What I love about this psalm is that it is raw and honest, but David does not stay in that mindset. By the end of the psalm he is determined that he will once again sing to the Lord, because He dealt bountifully with him. This could have been my own psalm during our weekend getaway that turned sour. “Lord, how long will we endure these difficulties? How long will it seem that You have left us never to return? How long do I have to keep pulling myself up by my own bootstraps, and be overwhelmed by sadness?”

Image by Manfred Antranias Zimmer from Pixabay

In my own experience, again similar to David’s, I was being prompted by the Spirit to return to what I know about God and how He has always provided in the past. During the weeks that followed our getaway the Lord led me to this small, but familiar portion of scripture in the Old Testament.

“21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”

— Lamentations 3:21-23 (NIV)

This is God’s truth. Jeremiah, the writer of Lamentations, knew that he had to go back to what he knew was true about God. It is by doing that, by remembering God’s faithfulness, lovingkindness and justice, that we are able to endure suffering without being consumed. Remember what Job went through, yet he was not consumed. God’s compassions do not fail, even thought they might seem far removed. When we look at it with hindsight we can see how God was in it, from the first bad thing to the last. Every day He gives us what we need for that day; nothing more and nothing less.

Next time we will look at practical ways to endure the long term suffering without giving up.

The Work of Suffering - Part 1: Recognize and Accept Reality

This morning I decided to go to the coffee shop down the street and just spend time listening to worship music on my computer, reading my Bible and prayer journaling. I have used Oswald Chamber’s devotional My Utmost for His Highest for years. It always baffles me how I can read it year after year and still pull something new from it, much like the Word of God. If you have never used this resource I strongly recommend it. In addition, if you are into Christian biographies, I also strongly urge you to read his biography, Abandoned to God.

Image by peachknee from Pixabay

Today’s devotional was specific to Christian workers, or people who are in the ministry. Read, The Worship of Work, before you read the rest of this post.

As I was reading through I was having the thought that it didn’t really apply to me or my spouse in our current situation. We are currently not involved in ministry and our church attendance has been sporadic. However, as the Holy Spirit so often does, he broke through my dismissive thoughts and slammed me with the idea that right now suffering is our work. Difficulty has become our ministry. With this in mind I want to do a short series on this truth.

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

I know I gave some of this information in an email I sent to my subscribers, but just a quick review. On December 25th my mother went home to Jesus. Though this was expected, she was 99, it didn’t make it any less painful. Her funeral was on the 5th of January back in NY state where I grew up. It was a beautiful time of remembering and being with family. My spouse and I journeyed home on the 6th and he was already ill. By Wednesday morning the 7th, my birthday, we both knew we had the flu. At three weeks we were only just beginning to feel back to “normal”. That was January.

February brought the devastating news that the university where my spouse has been employed for 37 years was closing its doors at the end of the semester. This was another blow; another death like loss, for this place had been community for us for so many years. We felt like we lost a dear friend. Even now, when I drive past the beautiful campus my heart just aches, and of course we hurt for all the faculty and staff and students who now have to find new situations.

Image by christian lanctot from Pixabay

Obviously, we have been under a bit of stress. If the death of my mom and the loss of my husband’s job hasn’t been enough, we have been inundated by difficulties. My spouse’s car broke down. A tire on his car had to be replaced. We had water in our basement. We had baby raccoons born in our garage, and then mama and babies decided to bend up the siding of the eaves on one of the dormers on our house. We have both had an assortment of physical issues from digestive trouble, to bladder infections, to throwing my back out, to the normal aches and pains of growing old.

Now my poor husband has another tooth that will need to be worked on next week that is giving him pain and discomfort. We also found out our neighbors are being evicted, which also makes us feel terrible for them. We appreciated them as neighbors and now they have to move into an apartment with a dog and two rambunctious boys. And let’s not begin to talk about the craziness in our country and across the globe. Life is very, very hard, and I know we are not alone in the suffering department. It seems people all over are having trouble upon trouble.

So how do we keep our faith, and our hope when so many shots are being fired in our direction? This is where the work of suffering comes in. The first thing we must do is:

Recognize and Accept Reality. As much as we would like life to be a rose garden, it most certainly isn’t. Jesus gave us the simple, unadulterated truth.

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

The psalmist understood suffering as he often penned his troubles into his poems and songs.

“15 My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look upon my affliction and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Look upon my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and deliver me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, O God,
Out of all his troubles.”

— Psalm 25:15-22 (NASB 1995)

Let’s not forget Job, who went through more than one man should endure.

“13 Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
14 a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”
18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house,
19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.””

— Job 1:13-19 (NASB 1995)

Whenever, I think I am going through suffering I remember all that Job had and lost. If you read on you discover that Satan was allowed to also take away his health and he was afflicted with boils. I have had boils and they are no laughing matter, and to have them all over your body! Job suffered severely, and we know from chapter one that God allowed it.

This is one thing that stood out to me, not just from chapter one of Job, but from this statement in today’s devotional reading:

“We have no right to judge where we should be put, or to have preconceived notions as to what God is fitting us for. God engineers everything;”

— My Utmost for His Highest - Oswald Chambers -classic online version - April 23

We are not in control. No matter how much we think we are, nor how much we want to be, we are not. Get used to it. Accept it. Lean in to this idea that the only thing I control is myself; my actions, words and reactions to all of life’s difficulties and suffering.

I know accepting our suffering is difficult, and perhaps that is part of the work. We have to accept that our good Father is allowing our circumstances to tumble us about like a tiny boat on a very angry sea. We may feel this is unfair, or just plain mean, but God knows what He’s about, and every single difficult thing that comes into your life has filtered through His gentle and loving hands.

Next week we will continue to explore the work of suffering.

Peace in the Chaos: Part 2c - If I am Following Christ, Why Don't I have Peace? - Our Actions

I apologize for the delay in getting this post out. The last few weeks have been especially busy and difficult, but we are muddling through. If you have not been following along I have been doing a series on Peace in the Chaos. You can review Part 1, Part 2a, and Part 2b by clicking on the links. Today we are going to look more closely at how our actions can keep us from experiencing the peace that passes all understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

When I was a very young child going to Sunday School we used to sing a song titled, O Be Careful Little Eyes . If you click on the link it will take you to a cute version by the Cedarmont Kids which adds two extra verses, one about the mind and one about the heart. I am not sure who the original author or composer was, but it has been humming around since before I was a tot in the sixties.

“1
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
2
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little ears, what you hear.
3
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little tongue, what you say.
4
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do,
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little hands, what you do.
5
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go,
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.
There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,
Oh, be careful, little feet, where you go.”

— Taken from Hymnal.net

This simplistic little ditty is full of good advice, especially if we are searching for peace. If we took each verse we could find scriptures that reinforce the simple directions being given. What I like about this song, other than the fact that I can remember it from so many decades ago is that it speaks to all the areas that we often use to get into trouble. The Cedarmont Kids version does well to add the heart and the mind as we know those can so often lead us into chaos.

The simple fact is, our choices drive our actions. We all have individual responsibility for what we see, what we do, what we say, what we hear, and where we go. We are also responsible for what we put into our minds and to whom we entrust our hearts. Do bad things happen to people? Yes, but we are still responsible for how we respond. Unfortunately, this is not a popular opinion in our world today. We regularly hear the philosophy of blame.

I thought it would be helpful to use the song as our guide as we look at which actions lead us away from God’s peace and which help to surround us with God’s peace.

Image by João from Pixabay

O be careful little eyes what you see. Generally speaking seeing something is not necessarily an action. We don’t always have control over what passes through our eye gates. I want to speak to the times when we choose to view things that remove us from the presence of God’s peace. What does God’s word say about what we see?

“25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.
26 Watch the path of your feet
And all your ways will be established.
27 Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil.”

— Proverbs 4:25-27 (NASB 1995)

I included the next two verses, because I believe they are pertinent to our vision. In the book of Proverbs, King Solomon shares his God given wisdom with his son, urging him to listen to his instructions and to embrace and love wisdom. However, we know that this book is pertinent to all believers. It was included in the canon of scripture so we know that the instruction and wisdom it offers is for us as well.

King Solomon was well acquainted with the pull of the world, and I am sure his eyes saw many things that were not designed to give him peace. It is with this knowledge and understanding that he penned these words.

God wants us to keep our eyes on Him; to fix our gaze on Him (Hebrews 12:1-2). He also instructs us to be careful where we step (Psalm 119:101). and to not allow ourselves to stray into evil. It is easy to stray off the straight path. Whether we start with books or movies with explicit sex scenes or dive straight into pornography, we have strayed down a path that will not bring us peace. Excessive use of social media, and becoming desensitized to violence will also not bring us peace.

Image by Jürgen from Pixabay

Be careful little ears what you hear. Ask yourself what am I listening to? What kind of music? What sort of podcasts? Which news media are we letting in through our ear gates? Are the things we listen to making us angry, rebellious, frustrated, lustful, anxious, or discouraged? Those things are not bringing us peace. These actions rarely happen over night. They develop slowly as we let our guard down and begin to listen to things that are not cultivating peace in our lives.

Paul warned Timothy about false teachers, false doctrines and the people who listened to those teachings. This is just as pertinent to us today as it was in Timothy’s time.

“3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,
4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. ”

— 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB 1995)

Image by Vanesssa from Pixabay

Be careful little tongue what you say. The book of James in the New Testament refers to the tongue as a small fire that can set a forest ablaze (James 3:5). I love this analogy. We all are aware of large areas of forest being burned to the ground by a single ember from a cigarette, a campfire that was unwatched or on a larger scale a fierce lightening strike. What seems small and inconsequential can turn into a raging, and even life threatening situation.

We see in the Scriptures that our tongue can be used for good or for bad. The psalmist describes the tongue of the wicked:

“7 His mouth is full of curses and deceit and oppression;
Under his tongue is mischief and wickedness.”

— Psalm 10:7 (NASB 1995)

We are seeing many of these situations in our world today, especially in our country. With the use of social media we now have things like cyber bullying, slander, and piece meal information put together to sway the viewer to whatever “side” is behind the keyboard. The news used to be reliable and unbiased, but I no longer believe that is the case. It seems everyone has an agenda. For me personally this makes me anxious, so I have to close the door on that when I start feeling ill at ease. Do I want to be informed? Yes. Do I want information to take away the peace that God has given me? No. When I start to feel that happen I turn off those voices and go back to His Word and His truth.

I have a choice to use my tongue to praise, worship, encourage, and bring others back to His truth, or I can spew gossip, negativity, and half truths. Which do you think will bring peace?

Photo from Pixabay

Be careful little hands what you do. What sorts of things can we do with our hands that take away our peace? I think many of these areas have cross over. If your hands use your computer to look up things that are not godly; if you hands write or type words or ideas that do not align with God’s will and word; if you use your hands to harm others or if your hands are idle, doing nothing, these are not actions that will bring God’s peace.

“10 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest”—
11 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
And your need like an armed man.”

— Proverbs 6:10-11 (NASB 1995)

“16 There are six things which the Lord hates,
Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
17 Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that run rapidly to evil,
19 A false witness who utters lies,
And one who spreads strife among brothers.”

— Proverbs 6:16-19 (NASB 1995)

Many verses in the Bible talk about using our hands in praise and worship and in helping others who are struggling.

“O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy.”

— Psalm 47:1 (NASB 1995)

“So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.”

— Psalm 63:4 (NASB 1995)

“She extends her hand to the poor, And she stretches out her hands to the needy.”

— Proverbs 31:20 (NASB 1995)

Image by wal_172619 from Pixabay

Be careful little feet where you go. The book of Psalms is full of references to our feet.

“My steps have held fast to Your paths. My feet have not slipped.”

— Psalm 17:5 (NASB 1995)

“He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places.”

— Psalm 18:33 (NASB 1995)

“My eyes are continually toward the Lord, For He will pluck my feet out of the net.”

— Psalm 25:15 (NASB 1995)

God keeps our feet from slipping and as the last verse states “He will pluck our feet out of the net” when we find ourselves in a situation that is hazardous, but in any of these situations it is as we are following Him. If we are wandering off of our own accord and finding our way into places and situations where sin and chaos are unfolding, then God may still keep us safe, but we will not have His peace.

“10 My son, if sinners entice you,
Do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lie in wait for blood,
Let us ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol,
Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
14 Throw in your lot with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, do not walk in the way with them.
Keep your feet from their path,
16 For their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
17 Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net
In the sight of any bird;
18 But they lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own lives.
19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors.”

— Proverbs 1:10-19 (NASB 1995)

We have seen in recent months an uptick in protests across our country, not just active protesting, but violent protesting that has resulting in people losing their lives. I believe in the right to protest, but I do not believe it should escalate to the point of violence. I believe our country has made it possible to protest and speak against our government, but I personally feel this should be done within the confines of normal laws.

That being said, I also would add the question, as a believer, how does protesting bring about God’s peace? If in the long term it enables people to be treated more fairly and allows for improvements to our current legal system, then hopefully it is God’s movement leading people to protest. If protesting makes one feel enraged, and filled with hatred then I do not believe this is part of God’s plan. These are just my opinions and I fully expect there will be people who disagree with me and that is okay.

Where are your feet taking you? Are they taking you down paths of peace, or are they leading you into valleys of chaos.

I hope you enjoyed this series. Please leave you thoughts and ideas in the comments section or leave a comment on Facebook. I certainly welcome any ideas you have on peace.

Have a great day!

Peace in the Chaos - Part 2a - If I am Following Christ, Why Don't I Have Peace? - The Mind

Last week I started a short series on the idea of finding peace in the midst of these chaotic times. I looked at words Jesus spoke to His disciples from John 16:33 and pointed out six different important points from the verse: Jesus’ words had a purpose; He wants us to have peace; our peace is directly connected to Him; we will have trouble in this world; we can take courage; and Jesus has overcome the world.

This week I want to focus on why we, so often, don’t have peace even when we are Christ followers. Remember from John 16:33 Jesus said, “…so that in Me you may have peace…” By using the word “may” it is clear we have a choice, otherwise I believe the verse would have been written, “…you will have peace…” Tapping into Jesus’ peace, or into the Prince of Peace is a choice of our will.

I could probably write another whole series on why we don’t have peace, but to keep it to just a few blog posts I want to simply paint a broad brush stroke by focusing on: the mind, the emotions and the body.

The Mind. I think it is obvious to most of us that we have much more information filling our minds today than we did even 20 years ago. It’s not just that we have access to more, but that there are so many other voices to listen to. There are times I feel there is a demonic element to social media and all its tentacles, but I will save that for another post. For the purposes of this post I want to delve into the ideas of alignment and focus.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The question we have to ask ourselves is who or what am I aligning myself with, and is that producing the soil of peace in my life. The Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments has guidelines on association. In the book of Joshua, the people of Israel are told to not associate with the nations in the Promised Land that they were going into.

“6 Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left,
7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.
8 But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. ”

— Joshua 23:6-8 (NASB 1995)

Proverbs 20:19 tells us to not associate with gossips. Proverbs 22:24 tells us to not associate with those who are given to anger, or hot tempered. The whole book of Proverbs is a how-to on relationships and how to live in a godly manner.

Image by Sofia Shultz from Pixabay

In the New Testament Paul tells us not to associate with immoral people, but he is not talking about immoral people out in the world: the clerk at the grocery store, your employer, the friend you have had since grade school. Paul is talking about immoral people who are in the church and who are claiming to follow Christ. We can’t live in this world and not associate with people who don’t know Jesus. They are everywhere and some of them are in our own families. As Paul said, “…for then you would have to go out of the world.” (I Corinthians 5:9-13.)

In addition we need to look at what philosophies, schools of thought, teachings, etc. we are aligning ourselves with. There is nothing wrong with reading, listening to, discussing ideas that are not Biblical. We are taught evolution in school from elementary school up. We read fiction books for entertainment and watch movies like Harry Potter. However, this is not to be our main focus.

Focus involves zeroing in on something. When we are focused, our attention is pointed to something specific. As Paul tells us in the verses below we are meant to “fix our eyes on Jesus.”

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

“1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

— Hebrews 12:1-2 (NASB 1995)

To put it plainly, we are not to buy into the things the world wants to sell us. For every person we listen too, and every article we read, and every song we hear we have to take its message back to God’s word. We have to have Holy Spirit clarity on each and every message we hear, because as the verses below states, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.”

The world says marriage is optional. The world says same sex love is okay. The world says gender not sex. The world says abortion rights are more important than the children being aborted. The world says Jesus came to preach love. When you take these things to Scripture that is not what we see.

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Now, let me take a moment to say, if I decide to spend more time listening to pod casts about these topics, or I focus on what I don’t agree with in Scripture I will, after a while begin to doubt and question truth. I will begin to ask, “Whose truth is it? Who has a right to dictate truth? Isn’t truth what I make of it? I can’t trust your version of truth because it doesn’t line up with my choices and desires.” These ideas become the speculations and lofty things that are raised up against the knowledge of God. Thus the importance of “…taking every thought captive.” Not just captive, like wild horses in a corral, but captive “…to the obedience of Christ.”

“5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, ”

— 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NASB 1995)

How does all of this affect our peace? To finish out this post on the mind let’s look at a few verses from the Psalmist.

“I will hear what God the Lord will say;
For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly ones;
But let them not turn back to folly.”

— Psalm 85:8 (NASB 1995)

“165 Those who love Your law have great peace,
And nothing causes them to stumble.”

— Psalm 119:165 (NASB 1995)

When we fill our minds with God’s words we have peace. He says it is so, and His word is truth.

Finally, look at this verse.

“6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,”

— Romans 8:6 (NASB 1995)

It cannot be any clearer than that. If we set our mind on the Spirit, and all the knowledge the Spirit gives us through God’s word we will have peace.

Next week we will look at our emotions and how they can keep us from experiencing God’s peace. Have a great week!

Peace In the Chaos - Part 1 - Jesus, Our True Peace

I have thought lately, if I could manufacture peace in some sort of solid form, and sell it, I would be a billionaire. Peace seems as elusive as a night time mist that disappears in the morning sunlight. We are in the midst of a chaotic time in a chaotic world, and there are moments when peace seems to have withdrawn never to be found again.

Jesus knew there would be difficulty in life. The following verse comes at the end of a speech Jesus gives to His disciples where He shares words of warning, words of promise, words of prophecy and words on prayer. Read John 16 for the full context.

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

There are six things we can take away from this one verse that might help us in our search for peace.

Image by floyd99 from Pixabay

1 - Jesus spoke these words for a purpose. These would be the words that came before. Jesus didn’t want His followers to be blindsided. He wanted them to know what to expect. If we read the whole of the Scriptures, we can see that it was written so that we have this benefit as well. We are given God’s words so that we know what to expect when we sin, when we repent, when we are thankful, when we are sad, when we are disobedient or when we are lost. God’s Words are the Good News of Jesus Christ and the judgment to those who prefer to walk in darkness. The Bible isn’t some laced together ramblings of approximately 40 men over a period of 1500 years just to deceive mankind into following a cult. The Bible has a purpose, and that purpose is our reconciliation to God through Jesus’ death and resurrection brought about by His deep and amazing love for us, His Creation.

“16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

— 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB 1995)

Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay

2 - Jesus wants us to have peace. If you are like me you may have struggled with the idea that God is truly loving. I used to think He was just waiting around for me to do something bad, and then BANG, He’d drop the hammer on me. Thankfully, as I have grown and matured as a Christ follower, I have come to realize this is absolutely not true. God’s love for us is so perfect that He cannot have bad, or ulterior motives, such as seeing us suffer just for suffering’s sake.

“1 See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ”

— 1 John 3:1 (NASB 1995)

We are called His children. If you are a parent, especially one that really loves your kids, then you know why this is so mind blowing. The God of the universe loved us enough that He gives us the opportunity to become His children. Wow! Here’s a few more verses to drive this point home.

“15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

— Romans 8:15-17 (NASB 1995)

Jesus and His Father want us to have peace, as any loving parent would want for their children. As a parent I can testify how heart wrenching it is when your children do not have peace. This brings me to the next point Jesus makes connected directly to this idea of peace.

Image by Germán R from Pixabay

3 - Our peace is directly connected to Christ. Read carefully what Jesus says about peace, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace.” The Christ follower’s peace goes hand in hand with Jesus. We will never have true, abiding peace without Him. Look what Isaiah prophesied:

“6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

— Isaiah 9:6 (NASB 1995)

Jesus is called the Prince of Peace. He owns it. He is peace personified, and if we know Him, we too can have that peace.

I want to point out a little detail. Jesus says, “…so that in Me you MAY have peace.” We can know Jesus and still not have His peace. I will explore this idea in a future post, but for now rest in the fact that He is our peace, and without Him chaos will easily reign.

Image by Selver Učanbarlić from Pixabay

4 - We will have trouble in this world. Why are we shocked by the things happening in our country? We live in a fallen, darkened world. Trouble comes in all forms with a capital T. Whether we are dealing with our own difficulties: illness, financial burdens, relationship issues; or we are anxious due to the choices of others, our lives are constantly exposed to trouble. Our exposure is even more pronounced because we have phones, pads, and other tech to keep us up on what is happening all over the world almost at the exact moment it is happening.

A friend recently sent me a short video of a trauma therapist talking about how we are not meant to see some of the things we are seeing on the internet in this day and age. For example the killings of both Renee Good and Alex Pretti, whatever your point of view is on those, are not events we should be watching at all, let alone over and over from multiple angles. It desensitizes us and also raises our anxiety level. It makes me think, let’s not add trouble to the troubles we already have. Not that we shouldn’t be informed, but reading an article is a lot different than viewing images and video.

Remember who is on the prowl. That same one will use these troubles to create what? Peace? No! Chaos.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

— I Peter 5:8 (NASB 1995)

Image from Pixabay

5 - We can take courage. It is very easy to let anxiety and fear run rampant in our minds and hearts when we see these discouraging events taking place; even more so, if we are already burdened with other difficulties. I know what is is like to be spread thin, as I am sure so many of you do too. With my health being a constant struggle and a constant mystery I already have days where I get easily discouraged. Add to that the loss of my mom on Christmas morning and then getting the flu right after we got through the funeral and the travel involved and you can bet I was feeling less than courageous.

I don’t have all the answers for difficult times except this one thing: lean in. Lean in to the grief, the sadness, the anger, the discouragement, and most importantly lean in to Christ and the truth of the Word.

“9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

— Joshua 1:9 (NASB 1995)

God made clear to Joshua that he did not need to be afraid, and that he could be strong and courageous. He didn’t need to be anxious or confused. Why? Because God was with him, and that same God is with us.

Image by Alexa from Pixabay

6 - Jesus has overcome the world. Nothing gives my heart more peace than those last words Jesus told his disciples. “I have overcome the world.” He didn’t say, “I might”, or “maybe some day I will”, but “I have.” Jesus has already overcome the anger, the conflict, the disunity, the fear, the selfishness, the pride, the lust for more power, and the darkness. The gospel of John confirms this idea.

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

— John 1:1-5 (ESV)

There is no difficulty, or person, or event that can overcome Jesus, the light of the world.

Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of our Life in Jesus during the Holidays - Part 2: Remembering God's Faithfulness

If you are following along this December, I am doing a short series on the emotion of sadness during the holidays. Holidays for many are not the bright, merry celebrations we tend to hear about. Instead, they are filled with pain, hurt, anger, sadness and despair. The reasons are many, from the death of a spouse or child, to divorce, to the loss of a job or health, to the state of our country. Many people are struggling with feeling depressed and overwhelmed.

Image by Armando Orozco from Pixabay

The reason I decided to broach this topic was in part to share what I have learned about carrying sadness on a regular basis, but still being able to function and live a full and productive life. Sadness isn’t something that we necessarily need to be free of, but rather something we need to embrace and learn how to accept and manage.

Last week we looked at what embracing sadness looks like and explored a few thoughts on how we can manage our own sadness, or how we can help others who are feeling more down than usual at this time of year. Tips included: having a grieving blanket, physical activity, artistic pursuits, and allowing others to help carry the burden. Another suggestion was to remember the faithfulness of God, and that is what we are going to look at this week.

The Old and New Testaments of the Bible are full of examples of God’s faithfulness. If we are in a particular dark state of mind we might read some of the Biblical accounts and only see God’s wrath, judgment and impatience, but as with all things if we look only for the darkness, we will only encounter darkness. True freedom lies in following and embracing the light of Christ.

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“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”)
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.”

— John 1:1-18 (ESV)

God provides everything that we need to live life in this dark world, but the most important thing He provided was the Light, the life of His Son Jesus Christ. Try to imagine living in a world with no light. How would you be able to live life? There is the rather comedic aspect of running into walls, crashing into cars, and stepping on Legos in the living room, but it goes much deeper than that. Light is essential for plants to grow, which in turn produce oxygen, which gives us the ability to breath. Light is essential for our mental health. Take it from a sufferer of Seasonal Affective Disorder, sunlight is absolutely necessary for me to feel human. Light is also an important element in the deterrence of crime, otherwise, why would so many business owners leave lights on around their property?

Probably the most important aspect to light is that it lets us see. There is the physical aspect of sight which keeps us from running into things and helps us to recognize things and people. It also allows us to learn and study. Similarly, spiritual sight, given to us through the Holy Spirit, allows us to know God and His Word better. Abiding in the light enables to turn from the darkness and recognize God’s constant faithfulness.

““The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.”

— Deuteronomy 32:4 (NASB 1995)

“Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.”

— Psalm 36:5 (NASB 1995)

“He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.”

— Psalm 91:4 (NASB 1995)

I find this last verse interesting. “His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark.” We all know what a shield is, but what is a bulwark? Websters online dictionary defines bulwark as: a solid wall-like structure raised for defense; a seawall; a strong support or protection. If God’s faithfulness is a shield and bulwark, then that means His faithfulness is supporting and protecting us. Might it also mean, that when we choose to remember His faithfulness, it helps protect our minds from spending too much time in the darkness? Perhaps recalling God’s faithfulness is the best way to protect ourselves from the unbridled pain and despair we can feel when we are grieving.

In other versions of the Bible instead of the word, bulwark, or rampart the word is buckler. A buckler is a small shield and to my understanding it was a shield that was used during hand to hand combat. It was a shield that was held close to the body, and could also be maneuvered to block the enemy’s strikes. Whether you like the idea of a strong wall of defense or a small shield used in daily battle with the enemy, the reality is both are true. God is our defense, and His faithfulness allows us to extinguish the flaming arrows of despair, bitterness and hatred that Satan sends our way.

As I said in my first post, sadness is an emotion God gave us and by embracing it we allow ourselves to process those strong feelings in a healthy way, but if we allow ourselves to only see the sadness, and not remember the joy, or the laughter, we risk becoming shrouded in a darkness that might lead to a place of no return.

So, how do we remember God’s faithfulness when we are feeling overwhelmed by the sad? Let’s look at a few ideas.

1 - Pray. Ask God to help you to remember His faithfulness. Perhaps you prayed for something specific and that prayer was answered. Maybe you needed direction regarding a decision and He gave it to you. Remember God is not just faithful in the big things, He’s also faithful in the tiny details. Ask Him to help you remember those times and write those things down.

I did this recently, and God brought to my mind His faithfulness to me as a child. Growing up in a Bible believing church, I was fortunate to be surrounded by Biblical teaching, but hearing God’s word, does not necessarily mean we will follow Him. When I was very young, perhaps in kindergarten or 1st grade I had a Sunday School teacher named Miss Draper. An older, single woman, she was all vim and vinegar, but she genuinely cared about her students. I remember she took a trip to Europe. When she came back she had gifts for each of the children in her class. When I opened mine it was a little chalet of sorts. The roof opened and from within came the most beautiful music. Her gesture of kindness set me on a road of wanting to know Jesus. Oh what the love of a person living in obedience to Christ can do to change the world.

Image by Steve Haselden from Pixabay

2 - Read Scripture. I know these suggestions are not anything new, but how much more we need to be seeking our precious Lord, when we are in the throes of sadness and heartbreak. Scripture is full of examples of God’s faithfulness. Think of His provision for Adam and Eve’s nakedness after the fall (Genesis 3:21); or what about His faithfulness to Noah and His family during a catastrophic, world wide flood (Genesis 7:23); and don’t forget the restoration He gave to Job after allowing Satan to take everything away (Job 42:10-17); and one of my favorite accounts of His lovingkindness was to Ruth, a woman not even a Jew, given a place in the lineage of Jesus our King of Kings (Ruth 4). Start to finish, the Bible is a ribbon of God’s faithfulness, provision, love and intervention on the behalf of humanity, the greatest of these being Christ’s entry into our world as a baby.

mage by Ingela Skullman from Pixabay

3 - Look for God’s faithfulness and provision in the day to day. All may seem bleak until we start exercising the eyes of our hearts. Our physical eyes might only see the darkness; the pain, the despair, the unknown, but our spiritual eyes can see things beyond this physical world.

“15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might
20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

— Ephesians 1:15-23 (NASB 1995)

Paul’s prayer pertains to us when we are grieving. He prays that we would see with the eyes of our hearts so that: we would know the hope of His calling, the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Look and see.

Image by Adrian from Pixabay

4 - Treasure thanksgiving. Having just celebrated Thanksgiving a few weeks ago here in the U.S. it is good to take this idea into the Christmas holidays, especially when we are sad. Giving thanks is not only a mood lifter, but it forces us to refocus our mind from the darkness to the light. Start small if that is all you can manage. Thank God for a warm bed, a hot shower, food, clean water, and a place to live. Even if all of these were striped away from us, we could still be thankful for Him; for His presence; for His character; for the fact that He does not change. Is it always easy to give thanks? No. But it is desired by our Creator.

“in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NASB 1995)

I hope this week you will find many moments to remember God’s faithfulness.

Embracing Sadness and Finding Joy: A Study of our Life in Jesus During the Holidays - Part 1: Embracing the Sad

The Holy Spirit inspired me one morning while I was doing my devotions to put together a short series for the month of December. The holidays can be a wonderful time of year, filled with activity, family and friends. However, for many, they can also be a time of great sadness and depression. People who have experienced loss can feel the holidays to be more of a prison, than a time of levity and light. Christmas, while exciting and full of anticipation, can become dark and foreboding for people who are struggling.

Image by patrycja1670 from Pixabay

In this post, I want to look at a few important points to remember when we are maneuvering the holidays, whether we are experiencing sadness ourselves, or we are walking with others through their feelings of grief and anxiety.

1 - Sadness is an emotion God gave us.

Being created in the image of God we were made, not to be robots programed from the great beyond with no ability to show emotion, but to have a broad range of feelings from happiness and joy, to fear and worry, to anger and frustration. Emotions were given to us, not to make us weak, but to give us greater strength to survive, live and to have a relationship with others and with our Creator.

“26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.”

— Genesis 1:26-27 (ESV)

How would we have relationships without emotion? How would we know the emotion of peace, if we did not experience fear? How would we know the feeling of joy if we did not experience sorrow? How would we know love if we did not experience loss?

Emotions are a part of who we were created to be, and when given over to God, can be an integral part in making us whole as a person, and more suited to serve God and others. Here is a good article from Focus on the Family - What Does the Bible Say About Emotions?

2 - Sadness needs to be acknowledged and felt.

In one of my therapy sessions a few months ago, I told my counselor that my husband and I often feel we are experiencing “existential fatigue in the land of eternal sadness.” She thought that was a very interesting way to describe our lives at that point in time. She went on to explain that sadness was not a bad thing. In fact feeling sad was how our minds acknowledged that something was or is very important to us.

Grief is a very real emotion and is felt by more than just someone who has lost a loved one. Grief is felt by partners who are in the midst of divorce; by children who now have to split their time between parents; by the man who just lost his job of 30 years; by the woman who lost a breast to cancer; and even by the employee who now has to learn yet another new computer program to do their work. The difficulty comes when we push the sadness down and try to get past it without truly processing it.

When my father passed away back in 2006, I had never really experienced grief before other than the loss of a pet. I had never known my maternal grandparents, and we did not see my paternal grandparents all that often. When my grandfather died, I was pretty young, and when my grandmother passed I was in college and didn’t even get home for her funeral. However, my dad passing away was different. I remember quite distinctly wondering if he was cold as he lay in that grave that first cold January night after he was buried.

Image by H A R M O N I A P I C T U R A from Pixabay

I began a grief journal which allowed me to process, and I began to think of grief as a blanket. When I needed to feel that sadness, I would wrap up in that imaginary blanket and feel the pain. I would remember good things and even some of the bad about my dad and growing up as the youngest of three. When I felt I processed enough for a while, I would mentally fold the blanket back up and put it in an imaginary trunk where it would be ready for the next time I needed it.

We see the psalmist in the Old Testament grieving out loud in many of the psalms. Let’s look at a few.

“1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;
let me meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord spurn forever,
and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah”

— Psalm 77:1-9 (ESV)

In this psalm the writer is so grieved he feels that God has forgotten him. God is not offended by these feelings. He knows our hearts and He wants us to acknowledge these feelings and bring them to Him.

“1 Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.”

— Psalm 69:1-3 (ESV)

I think most of us have felt this way at some point in time….up to our neck in the mire of trouble, fear and sadness. Acknowledging these emotions God gave us is important for our mental health and for our relationships.

3. Embracing the sad without losing our minds.

How then, do we embrace sadness without being overcome with the many other emotions that surround grief like anger, frustration, or fear? In addition, how do I walk through grief without heading down the road of depression, or anxiety? Seeing as I am not a psychiatrist, or a certified counselor, the tips I am going to list here are suggestions, and in no way should replace the sound advice of a professional. If you feel too overwhelmed to navigate sadness on your own, please seek help.

A - Take out the blanket. I think having an actual, physical blanket that you use specifically for grieving is a great way to not only have a physical connection to sadness, but also a way to be kind to yourself by cuddling up in a cozy, soft blanket. In addition it allows a set time for you to purposefully feel sadness.

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

B - Turn to physical activity. I am not just talking about exercise, although that is at the top of the list, but even activity done with your hands like dishes, laundry, mending, ironing, or baking. Not only are you getting your mind off the grief for a little while, but you may be getting a few things done. Let’s face it, in times of sadness a lot of things go undone, because we are just trying to survive.

Walking, especially outdoors is another great physical activity that allows us to turn from sadness to feeling the chill in the air, or smelling the wonderful smells of the changing seasons. If you can stand being in a crowd, go to the mall and people watch, or take yourself out for lunch. Being kind to ourselves during times of sadness is very important.

C - Allow the tears. Crying is a great way to release pent up cortisol, and too much cortisol can result in feelings of anxiety, panic and shutting down. God knows every one of our tears, so like the psalmist, don’t be afraid or ashamed to cry out to Him.

Image by Md Nirob Bhuiyan from Pixabay

D - Incorporate artistic snippets into your daily routine. Look for music, art, small craft projects, or even coloring to do in your down time. Music is always a mood booster, or even a mood embracer. Listening to sad music, or watching a sad movie, might also help with that cortisol release. There are hundreds of adult coloring books that provide mindless activity, but also enable you to keep busy creating a colorful picture without the pressure to perform.

E - Get up. Take a shower. Get dressed. When a person is in the throes of heart wrenching grief, even those first steps each day of getting up, taking a shower and getting dressed are steps towards the future; of moving on without that loved one; of acknowledging I am important too and need to keep going.

Image by Olya Adamovich from Pixabay

F - Remember. This is two-fold. There may be times when you don’t have the time to take out the blanket and properly grieve, but it is okay to remember. Memories are part of the process to acknowledge grief, and also move on at the same time.

In addition, if you are a Christ follower, remember God’s faithfulness. The psalmist did just that.

“10 Then I said, “I will appeal to this,
to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your work,
and meditate on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy.
What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you have made known your might among the peoples.
15 You with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

— Psalm 77:10-20 (ESV)

G - Don’t try to carry sad on your own. God meant for us to depend, not only on Him, but on others. Whether you make an appointment to speak with a counselor, or you have a lunch date with a family member, or you take a walk with a friend, allow people to know what you are carrying and ask them to help.

H - Help others. Helping others, especially during the holiday season is another way to help us through a time of sadness and grief. It reminds us that others are struggling too, and I can still help out, even though I am experiencing sadness.

This brings me to my final point. How do I help others who are going through the sadness, especially at the holidays?

Image by Vinzent Weinbeer from Pixabay

1 - Check in on people. Don’t let people maneuver their grief alone. Learn how to help by asking questions. Maybe they don’t need your advice, but a home cooked meal and your presence to eat it with them can make all the difference.

2 - Pray, and share God’s words of encouragement. We all know the holidays can be extra hard, especially for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one, or the loss of their own health. They need you to check in, but they also need you to pray for them. I know for me personally someone who takes the time to pray with me over the phone or in person reminds me I am seen and cared for.

3 - Don’t assume. It is easy to assume that people are doing just fine because they are past whatever initially made them sad in the first place, but often that is not the case. People can grieve for months over things like job loss and health problems, or years over the loss of a spouse or child. Don’t assume they have moved on. The best way to know is to talk to people and be curious without being pushy.

4 - Be there. I know life is crazy busy, but when you can, make the choice to be present in the other person’s life. Call, text, send them a note, invite them to share a meal, take them to a movie or an event. Be a true friend by showing them you care with your time.

Next week we will be looking more closely at remembering God’s faithfulness when we are in a season of sad. Until then, I wish you moments of utmost joy as you head towards this Christmas!

Humble Thanksgiving

It seems, at this time of year it is difficult for me to post things on my Faith page. I looked back over the last almost 10 years and noticed a distinct decrease from three or four posts for the month of November to just one. There are numerous factors for this struggle to get pen to page, or fingers to keyboard including the increased busyness of the season as we move from Halloween, to Thanksgiving to Christmas. In addition, since 2021, I always seem to get sick or have a flare up of whatever this is that I regularly deal with, and it leaves me feeling fatigued and completely unmotivated; not good things to have when you are trying to get ready for the upcoming holidays.

Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay

I decided this morning, after I ate my oatmeal, I would listen to Christmas music with a cup of tea and try to make something come out of my ever shrinking brain. Once again, due to the time of year, my mind comes to rest on thankfulness.

I read a short article on Facebook this morning regarding Thanksgiving. It was a good reminder to look at the true foundation of thanksgiving; not the holiday, but the attitude. Probably one of the earliest examples of giving thanks is found in Genesis 8.

“20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”

— Genesis 8:20-21 (NASB 1995)

Image by Jeff Jacobs from Pixabay

While the passage itself does not use the words thanks, or thanksgiving, we are able to draw the conclusion that the altar Noah built to the Lord and sacrificed on was one of worship and thanks for all the Lord had brought them through over the last number of decades; even more specifically over the last year while they were confined to a large wooden craft bobbing around on a seascape they had never seen or experienced before.

This sacrifice to the Lord was a soothing aroma. That says something about the attitude of gratitude when it comes to us on a day to day basis. Is what comes out of my mouth, my mind, my heart, an aroma to God that soothes Him? I love this quote, and I think it goes well with having a mindset of thanksgiving.

“This is the true joy of life: the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clot of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.”

— George Bernard Shaw

We certainly don’t all agree on what that mighty purpose is, but no matter what you are passionate about, you must admit being thankful makes us more likely a force of nature that is used for good, rather than one that is destructive and primarily self-serving. The Bible speaks to this as well.

“18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them.
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

— Romans 1:18-25 (NASB 1995)

This passage is clear on what will happen to those who do not honor God and are not thankful. Being thankful is not just a polite social more that we teach our children. Giving thanks is an important part of keeping the light within us. I believe this applies to all people, not just believers.

Image by Marlon Sommer from Pixabay

Verse 19 tells us “that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.” We are all made in God’s image. As Genesis says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to Our likeness…’” (Genesis 1:26)

When we are young, we don’t naturally lean towards thankfulness. It has to be shown to us, and taught. However, a child who is secure and loved will more easily exhibit a thankful attitude. Jesus used a child to teach a very important lesson.

“1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me,
6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.”

— Matthew 18:1-6 (ESV)

If we do not become like little children we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Why is this so, and what does it have to do with being thankful? Don’t worry, I am getting there.

We cannot enter the kingdom of heaven without humility. A child starts life from a place of humility. They don’t know pride, until it is hatched from them as part of their sin nature. What does pride say?

“I can do it myself!”

“Mine!”

“No!”

We cannot enter the kingdom of heaven until we throw away everything we ever thought we knew or believed and, like a child, accept what Christ has done for us knowing we are completely and utterly dependent on Him.

Image from Pixabay

Thanksgiving, involves humility. Whether we are thanking God for who He is and what He has done, or we are thanking our spouse for sweeping the floor, or thanking our child for picking up their room, giving thanks is a choice. This choice creates a shift, away from the darkness towards the light.

There have been numerous studies done in the last few decades on the correlation of gratitude to happiness. Generally, people who are more grateful are happier. Read this interesting article on the subject from Harvard Health Publishing, a division of Harvard Medical School. It seems that taking the time to think about what we are thankful for helps us to feel more positive about life, and may even help to make us healthier individuals. In addition, giving thanks to others in the form of spoken words, or in letters or texts adds to our sense of well being and helps us to remember how others have helped or blessed us.

All of these things are in keeping with Scripture.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High”

— Psalm 92:1 (ESV)

“Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!”

— Psalm 95:2 (ESV)

“For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:15 (ESV)

“For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”

— 2 Corinthians 9:12 (ESV)

“15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,
16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,
20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

— Ephesians 5:15-21 (ESV)

Image by Myléne from Pixabay

This last passage sticks out as one to remember. It is the wise person who makes the best use of their time; who understands what the will of God is; who does not get drunk; who is filled with the Spirit; who encourages others with psalms, hymns, spiritual songs; who sings and makes melody to God with their hearts (not just their mouths); who submits to others (humility), and who gives thanks always, and for everything to God.

As we head into Thanksgiving next Thursday, let’s try to focus on the real reasons we have to be thankful: that we are the creation of an amazing and loving God, and that we can choose to have a relationship with Him.

Have a great week!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 9

We should be drawing this study to a close this week. I hope you have enjoyed this look at 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. I can only say it was one of those Holy Spirit directed studies that I had not been intending to do. You must understand, what I put on the blog is most often things I am learning and/or struggling with. I hope I can always bring you the same clarity and understanding that the Holy Spirit gives me when revealing truth in His word.

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— I Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Last week we looked specifically at verse 13 diving into the concept that it is the Holy Spirit who teaches us and who gives us God’s wisdom. Paul’s teaching came, not from human wisdom, but from the wisdom taught to him by the Spirit of God. The same is true in our own lives as we grow closer to God and learn to listen to His Spirit with open ears. We looked specifically at 1 John 2:27 which reminds us that when we have His anointing, or the Holy Spirit we have no need of other teaching or wisdom. God’s wisdom is all we need. I also made a note that we must have His discernment to make sure that what we are saying is of the Spirit actually is His Spirit and not the spirit of the world. Remember, the spirit of the world is not for God.

Let’s start looking at verses 14 - 15.

14 - But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Image by Gina Janosch from Pixabay

I think this verse is pertinent to what is happening in the world as we look around at the violence, hatred, and sin that permeates all cultures. In our own country we have seen a definite uptick in violence as a way to respond to ideas, people, religion and beliefs that are not liked or agreed with. This is the response of the natural man. Our sin nature wants what it wants and it looks at the things of God as ridiculous.

Even as believers we find ourselves regularly battling against this old nature and fighting to turn to Jesus and His truth rather than give in to our baser sin nature. The difference is, we have God’s Spirit gently reminding us how much God loves us, what He did for us and why His wisdom is always better than the world’s.

Why does the natural man think God’s teaching and wisdom is foolish, after all, didn’t God create man in His image? Shouldn’t that give man His wisdom? Unfortunately, this is what Satan tempted Adam and Eve with in the Garden. See Genesis 3. There were two things going on in the Garden. The first, the Serpent, or Satan, was intent on causing God’s beautiful creation to crash and burn. The second, Adam and Eve made a choice to not trust God. If instead of listening to the Serpent they would have ran to God and asked Him what to do, they would not have made that same choice. God’s wisdom, would have given them the understanding to know what Satan was plotting.

Sin is what took away the ability to know and understand God’s wisdom. What God intended to be the norm, a regular, intimate, relationship with Him, became obscured by the veil of sin. It is only by giving our lives to Him in an intentional choice to trust Him, that we receive the Helper and the ability to know God and understand His teaching and wisdom.

“12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

— 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 (NASB 1995)

What we see in our country right now is the spirit of the natural man fighting against what they see as the foolishness of God, because they can’t understand it. Why does this surprise us? God has always had a better way, but He allowed mankind to make their own choices and He still does, even to the point of violence and persecution.

“5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

— John 1:5 (NASB 1995)

15 - But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

Image by Thomas from Pixabay

Seeing that our Creator is a spiritual being, and when we are in Him we are also spiritual beings, we are able to appraise, or to use a more unfavorable word, judge, all things. (I thought that chicken looked pretty judgmental to me. what do you think? Ha, ha.) What does this mean? In simple language it means that we are able to look at everything around us and discern what is actually happening. For instance, the things that are happening in our country are looked at political and idealogical differences, but one who has the Spirit of God, knows there is a spiritual element to these things. Of course if we speak that, we are seen as even more ridiculous and unaware. What is most concerning to me is the disparity in the church. We know it is okay to have differences of opinion, but when that turns into anger, and anger turns into hate, then as people with God’s Spirit we need to step back and recognize the spiritual side of things.

With regard to the second half of that verse, we are appraised by no one. In other words, people can judge us on the outside. If I commit a crime I will go to court and be sentenced, but only God judges our eternal soul. Only He knows where we are at spiritually. That, to me, is why it is important to get to know people and have dialogue with people. We may find we have a lot more in common than we do differences.

16a - For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him?

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There is not one person on this planet that knows the mind of the Lord to the extent that he is able to instruct Him. God doesn’t have to be teachable. He knows everything. The theological word for this characteristic is omniscient. It is not just knowing things like 2+2=4, or that all matter is made up of atoms, and all the other billions of bytes of data in the world. Omniscience includes an awareness, understanding and insight. God doesn’t just know stuff, He knows us. Isn’t that mind bending? Read through Psalm 139. God knows our thoughts, when we lay down, when we rise, where we go, what we are going to say, and the very condition of our heart. He knows every child ever used in the sex trade. He knows every tumor rooting itself in a human’s body. He knows where your lost cat is. He knows the pain you carry deep beneath your smiling exterior.

To the natural man, this doesn’t make sense. In fact, it may be the case they don’t want it to make sense. Knowing that there is a being who knows your every thought, your every pain, your every dark sin is too much. The crazy part is, He knows all that and still He loves us. He loves you, and He wants you, every single bit…the good, the bad, and the dark ugly.

16b - But we have the mind of Christ.

Image by Chil Vera from Pixabay

Perhaps it is because I have the mind of Christ that as I have been typing this I want to fall to my knees and cry. Not only to shed tears for so many who are hurting, angry, and lost, but for my own wretched soul. He has done it all. He has provided a way when there was no way. He provided a light in the darkness, a path through rocky mountain slopes; food for my peckish soul and water for my dried up heart. He has done it all, and I have nothing to boast about, except in Him.

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 8

I have been doing a series that looks more in depth at the first couple of chapters of 1 Corinthians. You can see each of the previous parts in this series by clicking on the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. Today we are going to dive deeper into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Image by Aritha from Pixabay

“10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.
11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”

— 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (NASB 1995)

Let’s get a running start at the next few verses.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,

If you read through last week’s post you know that when we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior we do not receive the spirit of the world, which has to do with the mindset of the world, a mindset that is against God and all He wants us to know. We receive the Spirit who is from God, or the Holy Spirit. We are given the Holy Spirit as a help so that we might know the things of God which are freely given to us.

In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us understanding of God’s mind and ways. He gives us understanding of the Words of God in the Holy Scriptures, and He enables us to have God’s wisdom in all situations.

…which things we also speak…

Image by Naveen Goyal from Pixabay

Paul was referring to himself and the preaching, teaching and letter writing he was doing for the churches

…not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit…

Image by Raindom from Pixabay

Paul, is one of the most famous of the apostles, whose own testimony tells of him persecuting the Christian church with a fervor that included having many believers imprisoned and killed. On the road to Damascus Jesus appeared to him (at the time Saul) in a bright, blinding light and questioned, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (See Acts 9.) Saul became Paul and became a major contributor to the spread of the Gospel.

This same Paul was not teaching or preaching words that came from his own human wisdom, but words taught to him by the Holy Spirit. While he was alive at the time of many of the disciples, he was not one of the twelve that originally lived and walked with Jesus. His learning was not first hand, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, just as ours is.

I love this, especially when I feel utterly stupid in my Christian faith. Obviously, I know lots of things, just as Paul did, but my book learning is not what drives me to write these posts. I do it as a ministry of the Holy Spirit to encourage anyone in their Christian walk. Believe me, I have had numerous moments where I have been ready to give it all up, but it is then that I get that little prodding in the back of my mind. Even if only one person benefits there is a ripple affect with a single drop of water.

…combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words

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“27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

— I John 2:27 (NASB 1995)

I came across this verse in 1 John some months ago and and it keeps coming back around to me. It talks about our anointing which we received from Him and abides in us. This anointing is not something special that only comes to those who are prayed over for the ministry. His anointing is the living, breathing, Holy Spirit inside of us when we accept Christ.

As we see with Paul, and I would say even someone like Charlie Kirk, they did not need a theology degree to speak, preach or teach. They got their words, responses, messages from the Holy Spirit who dwelled inside of them. This verse clearly tells us that we have no need for anyone to teach us because the Holy Spirit teaches us about all things and He is true and not a lie.

Now, do we need to be careful to not take this out of context and start spouting off anything that comes to mind? Yes! But do we need to hide the light of Christ under a bushel because we are not “educated” and might not know what to say? No!! We are meant to be the light of Christ in a dark world, and can be confident engaging people in conversations about Christ because His Holy Spirit lives in us.

I will add to this idea next time as we finish off this chapter.

Have a great week and remember you are anointed by God and have the Holy Spirit in you. Abide in Him and shine His light!

Thought's on the Reality of Living in this Fallen World

Since Charlie Kirk’s murder last week, I have been trying to figure out how to respond. It was only in the last four months that I started to follow Charlie on Facebook, so I certainly did not know him personally, but I liked what he was doing. If a person can get people to think and do it in a way that shows self-control and kindness, that’s awesome. I have seen a number of people talk about Charlie since his death and it sounds like he was one of the good guys: a young man who had a passion, not only for conservative values, but for God and His word. Was he perfect? Of course not, none of us are, but to dedicate your life to connecting and talking with others means something.

When deciding what to write about, I thought it best to honor Charlie by taking us back to God’s Word.

The Roaring Lion

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“8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

— 1 Peter 5:8 (NASB 1995)

While we do have enemies made of flesh and blood, our real enemy is much more crafty than any human being. He was an angelic being, created by God to serve Him, but given a free will Lucifer decided he should be the one making the decisions and tried to take God’s throne. God banished him from heaven along with a large number of angels who followed him. Earth is their dwelling place, and Satan loves to play with God’s most precious creation, humanity. (See Ezekiel 28:13-17, and Isaiah 14:12-14)

As I have said before on this blog, what better plan could an enemy concoct, but that which makes the prey think he doesn’t exist, and that the thing that matters most is their own selfish desires. The problem is, Satan has his fingers heart-deep in so many people’s lives due to his adept skill at manipulating the truth.

Charlie Kirk spoke truth. He spoke ideas and thoughts that aligned with God’s Word, and many lives were changed because he had the bravery and desire to make a difference. Yes, a 22 year old man shot him, but it was the unseen enemy, Satan, who was moving and manipulating behind the scenes. He moves and manipulates every time there is a school shooting, a child is forced into the sex trade, families wonder where their next meal is coming from, bullies try to have the upper hand, church ladies gossip; the list is endless. Look at the darkness in the world and you will realize Satan is at the core of all of it.

Difficult Times will Come

Isn’t it interesting that the lion above and the man below have a similar facial expression?

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

“1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.”

— 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Why are we surprised by the responses that many people are leaving on social media in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder? These verses could not be any more accurate than if a news reporter wrote them this past week: boastful, revilers, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

The last sentence in this group of verses tells us to avoid such men/women as these. Charlie Kirk did not avoid them. He met them face to face, and head on he broached the hard topics - racism, abortion, gun violence, and others.

Living According to God’s Word will Bring Persecution

Pixabay

“12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
13 But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

— 2 Timothy 3:12-13 (NASB 1995)

We are told if we desire to live godly in Christ Jesus we will be persecuted. In addition, Jesus said,

“33 These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.””

— John 16:33 (NASB 1995)

In this world we will have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world.

Our Purpose through it All

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No matter what is going on in the world around us our identity and purpose does not change. We are made in the image of the almighty God (Genesis 1:26-27), and our purpose is to honor and glorify Him with our abilities, talents and our voices (Colossians 3:23). Charlie Kirk knew this and used the gifts God had given Him to lift up His truth and glorify Him. What is God’s will for us during these difficult times?

“14 We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.
16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not quench the Spirit;
20 do not despise prophetic utterances.
21 But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22 abstain from every form of evil.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 (NASB 1995)

These principles, are the same today as they were 2000 years ago. Evil has been here since Satan chose to defy His God and Adam and Eve chose to listen to his half-truth whispers. Thankfully our God has not changed. Whether you are angry at the injustice of Charlie’s murder, or you are rejoicing that his voice has been silenced, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and no one on this planet can change that.

Do Not Lose Hope

Image by Muhammad Haseeb Muhammad Suleman from Pixabay

I felt the aftermath of Charlie’s death as if he had been a close relative, and in a way he was. For those of us who believe, he was our brother in Christ and his wife is our sister in Christ. While I didn’t know him other than through social media clips, Charlie represented truth I believe in and qualities I want to have: love, boldness and joy.

My dear friends, do not lose hope.

“Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the Lord.”

— Psalm 31:23 (NASB 1995)

“My soul, wait in silence for God only,
For my hope is from Him.”

— Psalm 62:5 (NASB 1995)

“Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”

— Psalm 119:116 (NASB 1995)

“1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

— Romans 5:1-5 (NASB 1995)

Our hope does not disappoint! We know that Charlie is now with Jesus, as are my father, father-in-law, and many, many others who have gone before. They are rejoicing in the presence of their Savior and the troubles of this world are dim compared to His eternal burning love.

Thank you Father for sharing your love with this world through people like Charlie Kirk, and thank you Charlie for being exactly who God wanted you to be.

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 5

As we see August come to an end, and September begin, I feel the pull of fall. I have always loved this season. From the changing leaves and the cooling temperatures, to the pumpkin muffins and jack-o-lanterns, fall always gives me a feeling of expectation. I think part of that stems from the fact that fall includes Halloween, Thanksgiving and leads to winter and my favorite time of year, Christmas. Seasonal changes give us many things to think about with regard to our faith walk with Jesus, and I will be pursuing some of those ideas soon, but today, I want to continue our walk through 1 Corinthians 2.

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“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.””

— 1 Corinthians 2:1-9 (NASB 1995)

Right now we are still looking at verses 1-9. We learned from Chapter 1:18-25 that man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom are two distinct things. The reality is God uses all that is contrary to our wisdom to accomplish His plan from the weak and foolish, to the cross of Christ, His wisdom is contrary to all that our wisdom believes is important. We see Paul reiterating these same ides as Chapter 2 begins and we read, “I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified…”

6 - Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; however, not of this age or of the rulers of this age who are passing away;

Paul, who has made clear that he was weak, and fearful when it came to his ability to speak, and who also made clear that his message was not of his own wisdom and ability, but God’s, now states with confidence he speaks wisdom among the mature.

Who were the mature? People who already knew the gospel, believed it and were living their lives following Jesus. Think of your own situation as a Christ follower. Do you feel like you know more now than when you first came to Him? Have you gained more understanding as you delved into His word? Would you consider yourself more mature than you were several decades ago? I say a resounding yes, but it is because of His work and His wisdom.

Let’s take a closer look at what this wisdom is (verses 6 - 9).

What it isn’t - Not of this age (and that is true just as much today as it was in Paul’s time). Not of the rulers of this age (who come and go, live and die). Not able to be understood without God.

What it is - Of God. A mystery. Hidden. Predestined before the ages. Prepared by God for those who love Him.

One may wonder if it is something God wants us to know and understand, why does He keep it a hidden mystery? Go back to the title of this series - Nothing to Boast About. He did the work. He does the work. He has hidden it, He will reveal it. What then is my part?

To believe.

It seems so very simple, but how often do we doubt? How often do we find ourselves second guessing? How often are we pacing the floor because we don’t see our prayers answered in our time line? How often do we live in the flesh, rather than in His Spirit?

Man’s wisdom says, “You do you! Be all you can be! Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps!”

God’s wisdom says, “Come to Me! Believe! Trust!”

How are you living today? By your own wisdom, or by trust God?

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 4

After a few more busy weeks we are at the end of our summer hiatus and schools are back in session. My spouse, who is a college professor, is back in the classroom next week. I wanted to return to the verses we had been looking at in 1 Corinthians. You can see the first three parts: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 by clicking on the links.

“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; 8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.””

— 1 Corinthians 2:1-9 (NASB 1995)

Image by Arnie Bragg from Pixabay

Last time we looked at the first two verses and we emphasized two important points: 1 - Paul determined, and 2 - to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. We looked at the disparity of a social gospel built only on the foundation of love and good works, and the true gospel of Christ’s death and resurrection. Make no mistake we are responsible to love and to do good works, especially to those who are less fortunate (see Matthew 25:31-46), for without the good works we are merely a clanging cymbal or a ringing bell in a symphony of humanity. Part of what makes Christianity different is the example Christ set of loving others, but not just that. The true difference lies in His death on a cross, and His ability to walk out of the grave. This is the power that gives us the ability to love the unlovely, and help the helpless.

Paul continues his letter by reminding them - I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. This was a reference to himself, and not to the people he was with. Paul was not an entertainer. Even though he was learned in the teachings and ways of the Torah and his own people, it is possible he felt “less than” among the intellectuals in Corinth. Orators of that time period were expected to wow the crowd, and this was not Paul’s gift. He simply preached the truth of the gospel. Paul continues this line of thought.

…and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power…

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

How often do we pine for the notoriety and visibility of being someone important? I grew up in an era where every young person wanted a guitar or a set of drums so they could become the next great rock and roll sensation; myself included. Now we live in a world saturated with images, and videos of people being “important” in what they say, how they dress, what they do, how they identify, and all of it being based on how many views, thumbs up or hits they get on their social media posts. We have people like Taylor Swift who started out by sharing her music on YouTube and now she is “…a cultural icon of the 21st century. She is the highest-grossing live music artist, the wealthiest female musician, and one of the best selling music- artists of all time.” (Wikipedia) How many will long to follow in her footsteps, but will never make it past the borders of the small town they grew up in?         

We now hear speakers in seminars, podcasts and talk shows discussing the art of persuasion. Being able to persuade seems to be important enough that it must be taught and discussed like ancient history or English grammar. Why are we so anxious to persuade? Because we want, not just recognition, but community in our ideologies and thoughts. We want people to agree with us, and join us in turning others to our side and our way of thinking.

Paul recognized the work of the Spirit was beyond a seminar on the art of persuasion. It was a supernatural affair. Any effect he had as an apostle he attributes to the work of the Holy Spirit. People coming to Jesus when he spoke were a demonstration of Spirit and the power. What power? God’s power?

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.””

— Acts 1:8 (NASB 1995)

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Do a quick walk through of the book of Acts and you will see numerous places where the Holy Spirit moved, and saved, and worked. His power filled the disciples and helped the fledgling churches to grow into a world wide movement that today still holds the power of God.

Once again we are reminded that we have nothing to boast about when Paul says, “so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” God intended from the beginning that the foolish things would overcome the wise and the weak would overcome the strong.

Until next time, keep walking in His strength and in His Spirit!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 3

This second chapter of 1 Corinthians seems a perfect continuation of the verses we looked at previously in Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 1, and Nothing to Boast About - Part 2.

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“1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling,
4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,

“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.””

— I Corinthians 2:1-9 (NASB 1995)

Paul continues his discourse on the wisdom of God versus the foolishness of man by stating that when he came to the church at Corinth he did not preach by his own ability, but by the ability God gave him.

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.”

If anyone could have boasted in his own abilities it was Paul. Born a Hebrew, he was raised in the prosperous city of Tarsus, a center for trade on the Mediterranean coast, a city which also housed a well known school.

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“4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

— Philippians 3:4-6 (NASB 1995)

“6 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!””

— Acts 23:6 (NASB 1995)

Paul referred to his upbringing not to boast in his abilities, but to appeal to the audience he was talking to. He always made clear that his abilities to teach and preach were from God .

For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

This stands out to me for two reasons. First, Paul determined. This word does not give us a feeling of being wishy washy. It shows us the apostle was firmly resolved. It is convicting to me, because when I ask myself what am I firmly resolved or determined about, I realize in this chaotic world we are living in I have become more uncertain, unsure and even doubtful about many things, even my relationship with Christ. Yes, there are things I am sure of: my salvation, the Bible, God’s good character and so on. Perhaps, like Paul I need to focus on the main thing.

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Second, what was Paul determined to know? Nothing…except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Why is this so important? Isn’t it more important to preach and teach love? After all Christ loves us and desires that we all be in heaven with Him. This is where I am beginning to see disparity in the church. If we do not preach the reason Christ came, and had to be crucified, all the love in the world will not fix all that is wrong with it. Christ came because we are sinners. Not one of us is good enough to earn our way into heaven, no matter how much love we show. And the truth is, if I only preach the love of God, then I do not really love. We have to talk about the darkness, the disobedience, and the distance between us and Him.

Remember these verses? Jesus said of Himself:

“6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

— John 14:6 (NASB 1995)

“5 I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”

— John 15:5-6 (NASB 1995)

“23 He who hates Me hates My Father also.
24 If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.
25 But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’”

— John 15:23-25 (NASB 1995)

“18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death,”

— Matthew 20:18 (NASB 1995)

“31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

— Mark 8:31 (NASB 1995)

These are just a few of many verses in the Gospels where Christ talks about His purpose, which was to be obedient to the Father, and die on a cross for sinful humanity.

Does the Bible talk about God’s love? Of course it does. One of the most famous verses many of us memorized as youngsters in church follows:

“16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

— John 3:16 (NASB 1995)

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However, even this verse talks about God’s love in the context of our need, and our sin. Why would we perish if we were perfect? Why would we need God if love was the answer to all our problems? Love is the answer, but it is God’s love; God’s pure, perfect, and holy love.

I would like to let these first two verses of this second chapter of 1 Corinthians sink in for the next week. Do you think we need to be more determined like Paul? If so, what are we to be determined about? I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment or two below.

Until next week, have a great weekend!

Faith Musings: Nothing to Boast About - Part 1

I want to apologize for the inconsistent status of my blog right now. Life is, as it has so often been in the last decade, relentless. Just trying to live each day has become something closer to survival and I often have to stop myself from saying, “If I can just make it to 5:00, or if I can get to Friday…” Many of you are living this life as well, so I know you get it.

It seems somewhat appropriate that the thoughts coming to my heart and spirit today for this blog post are a bit of a continuation of my post from last week on The Plague of Individuality. I was searching the Scriptures wondering what to write about and this passage came across my line of sight.

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“18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And the cleverness of the clever I will set aside.”

20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
22 For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;
23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,
24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

— I Corinthians 1:18-25 (NASB 1995)

I want to focus on these verses and what follows for the next few weeks. From these eight verses we can see that God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom are vastly different. What man deems as wisdom, God deems as foolishness. What God sees as wise, the world sees as ludicrous. Let’s take a closer look.

The Cross - Foolishness or Power?

Verse 18 says “…the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” Paul used the phrase, “the word of the cross” in reference to the preaching and teaching of the gospel: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is in the cross, and its purpose that we only experience the true power and might of God.

The world sees the cross of Christ as a crutch; as something offensive and undesirable, just as the Jews of Jesus’ time did. They could not believe Jesus was the chosen One of God, nor could they believe He was the Son of God as He had claimed, because that would mean everything they had built to control and govern their people would come crashing down around them. Jesus was supposed to be a victorious king; a man of noble birth. He certainly wasn’t suppose to be the son of a carpenter and die a horrible death on a few pieces of splintered wood.

As Christ followers it is in this “foolishness” of the cross we find our greatest power. Jesus and the sacrifice of His own life on that cross has given us the ability to not only have life in Him, but to have abundant life here on this earth, even amidst the struggles and relentlessness of the fleshly grind. The cross and the blood that flowed is what gives us hope. The cross is the reminder that we are not our own, but bought with a price. The cross deletes all our boldest attempts to have peace with God, because we can’t. Only the cross could do this!

…For it is written…

I cannot say enough how important the written word of God is to the believer’s faith walk. It is with increasing numbers that people, including our children, have walked away from the faith because they have chosen to disbelieve the authority and validity of the written word. Books like Josh McDowell’s Evidence That Demands a Verdict, and Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ, are just two of the many books that explore the claims surrounding the inspiration, writing and collection of the word of God as it is laid out in our Bibles.

However, the true test of the validity of scripture is the Word itself. It baffles me how a person can read a news article, take it as God’s honest truth, with little validation, but the Bible which has been around for centuries is constantly doubted and touted as having all sorts of inconsistencies, etc. Jesus himself attested to the validity of God’s word in His high priestly prayer.

“17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”

— John 17:17 (NASB 1995)

The Wisdom of the Wise, or of God.

What follows, “For it is written…” is a reference to Isaiah 29:14. The main message of this Old Testament chapter had to do with the warning God was giving Jerusalem for pretending to follow His ways and His laws, but not really meaning it in their hearts. Matthew Henry’s Commentary says it rather well:

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“Here, I. The prophet stands amazed at the stupidity of the greatest part of the Jewish nation. They had Levites, who taught the good knowledge of the Lord and had encouragement from Hezekiah in doing so, 2 Chron. 30:22. They had prophets, who brought them messages immediately from God, and signified to them what were the causes and what would be the effects of God’s displeasure against them. Now, one would think, surely this great nation, that has all the advantages of divine revelation, is a wise and understanding people, Deut. 4:6. But, alas! it was quite otherwise, Isa. 29:9. The prophet addresses himself to the sober thinking part of them, calling upon them to be affected with the general carelessness of their neighbours.”

— Matthew Henry's Commentary

What follows is God’s discipline of His people by taking away their ability to be wise or clever. Does this seem at all familiar? “Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

The rest of this passage reminds us that it is through God’s wisdom, not man’s, that He is found. In other words, we can read all the books, listen to all the podcasts, watch all the YouTube How To’s, follow all the health, spirituality, exercise and mental well being gurus and still never find our way to God. The Jews asked for signs, which they rejected, because they could not believe Jesus was the long awaited Messiah. The Greeks searched for wisdom, but when it came in the form of the gospel of Jesus Christ it was just foolishness.

The wisdom of God is Christ crucified. This is our power. This is our wisdom.

Because -

The foolishness of God is wiser than men,

And -

The weakness of God is stronger than men.

All we need to do is put our trust in Him. End of story.

Word for the Year: Trust - Its Connection to Belief

I decided to take my word for this year and approach it in a little different way than I did the word wait, last year. I would like to look at the word trust in the context of how it relates to other words and ideas. For instance, in order for a child to trust their parent they must feel safe. Safety is a key component in understanding how and why we trust or don’t trust.

I would like to start with the connection trust has to the idea of belief. In 2022 my word for the year was believe. You can see that post here. In order to trust we must also believe. One might even say that belief has to come before trust can be invested.

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Take, for example, the idea of gravity. Gravity has been here since God created the world, but it was Sir Isaac Newton that came to understand how gravity worked and who developed the Law of Universal Gravitation. Gravity is a reality, whether I believe it or not. However, because I trust the Law of Universal Gravitation I am completely confident to walk outside and not fear falling off the earth into the vastness of space. Belief allows me to act.

“5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.”

— Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB 1995)

In order to trust the Lord with all our hearts we must believe in Him. How can we possibly trust an entity we know nothing about? How can we trust a being we haven’t met? In order to truly know God I must believe in Him. Not in a superficial way, but in a life changing commitment. I must move from merely knowing about Him to knowing Him in an intimate way.

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The way we grow in our relationship with God is by digging deep into His word, the Bible. The Bible is His story. It is also a collection of historical accounts starting with the creation of our world, the entrance of sin into that world, the growth and history of the nation of Israel, the succession of the kings of that nation, and the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

As we learn and grow the trifecta of the divine Creator works together to reveal and open our minds to a deep and intimate understanding of His word. Not only do we realize the reality of the historical accounts, we also dive deep into the processes God uses to turn us towards Him and away from our sinful habits and ideals. We come face to face with the reality that He alone is worthy of our trust, and we are but dust blown whichever way the wind might go.

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“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

— Psalm 90:10 (NASB 1995)

The above verse begins with, “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You…” We have to know His name, His character and His work in order to put our trust in Him. The psalmist goes on to give us a reason, He has not forsaken those who seek Him.

Let’s think about this for a few moments. I am pretty sure all of us have felt forsaken at some point in our lives, whether it be by our family or our friends. We may have also felt forsaken by God. However, He is always with us. He alone is true to His word.

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“For the king trusts in the Lord, And through the lovingkindness of the Most High he will not be shaken.”

— Psalm 21:17 (NASB 1995)

“In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them.”

— Psalm 22:4 (NASB 1995)

“To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed.”

— Psalm 22:5 (NASB 1995)

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him.”

— Psalm 28:7 (NASB 1995)

“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.”

— Psalm 32:10 (NASB 1995)

“For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.”

— Psalm 33:21 (NASB 1995)

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There are many more verses that talk about our trust in God. I love the last one…our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Perhaps we don’t experience joy, because we do not trust, and we do not trust because we do not believe, and we do not believe because we do not know. In order to truly know Him we must be in His word listening for His voice.

I hope, if you are reading this, you made a choice to commit your life to God, to believe in Him, in doing so you have taken the first step to being able to trust Him.

Faith Inspiration - Oswald Chambers - Our Great Capacity for God - Part 4: Sin's Effect on Our Capacity for God

Now that we have looked at sin’s beginnings, and the truth laid out in God’s Word about sin we need to talk about how sin affects our capacity to know and believe God. Obviously, sin is all around us. We are human and frequently fail to resist temptation, or find ourselves giving in to the sin nature in the form of anger, envy, gossip, or even over indulgence. Does the occasional sin keep us from this great capacity that Oswald was talking about?

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The first thing we have to acknowledge as truth is that we have sin in us as long as we walk in the flesh. While we obtain salvation and are fully redeemed when we believe in Jesus we don’t automatically stop sinning. Won’t it be nice one day when sin no longer appeals to us: the lure of things that only momentarily satisfy, and the pull of wrong thinking? The key is to not allow sin to reign in us. Look at the following Scriptures.

“5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.”

— 1 John 1:5-10 (NASB 1995)

“1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?
2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.”

— Romans 6:1-7 (NASB 1995)

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If we have given our lives to Jesus sin no longer has ownership over us. We are no longer slaves to sin. That being said, it is a daily choice to live a sinless life. In fact, sometimes it is an hour by hour or even a moment by moment choice. As we saw above in 1 John 1:9 we have a pathway to deal with our sins. When we fall, we confess, and Jesus who is faithful and just will forgive us. What a blessing.

Sin affects our capacity to know and understand God in the following ways:

1 - It keeps us in the dark. Look back at 1 John 1 again. Sin, when regularly allowed to have sway in our lives puts a veil over our ability to know God’s truth and dig deeper into His layers. We will find ourselves stumbling in the dark because we are not making use of the light He has given us.

2 - It prevents us from having full fellowship with God. It is in this intimate fellowship that we really begin to understand this Almighty Being who created us and loves us. When we walk in the light and we keep short accounts of our sin by confessing to Jesus, we start to engage in a relationship that is so much more than just believing words written in a book. It becomes vital, essential and real.

3 - It warps our thinking. We will look at this more in the future, but for now we know that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might by done away. In order to live a victorious life we must bring our thinking into line with the truth we find in His word. In addition, we must allow the Holy Spirit to have sway in our thinking so that we are living according to Him rather than our flesh.

Next month we will begin our descent into the depths of wrong thinking and how that affects our great capacity for God.

As always thank you for following along as we journey deeper into the layers that are God!