Wonderful Words of Life - Don't Lose Heart

We have all struggled at some point in our lives. If you are like me just getting out of bed on a regular basis is a struggle. It seems I always feel tired. Living in this post Covid world, I know many are struggling with just the day to day activities of life. Getting up, going to work, taking care of the kids and seeing to their needs, keeping a home, being involved in your church, or in other activities that your kids are involved in, helping with your grandkids…the list goes on. Life is different now than it used to be. With all the advances in technology, modern medicine, and science, people still hurt, get sick and suffer.

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Recently we have seen the suffering of many on the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands. Wild fires have devastated that once beautiful paradise and left a path of destruction and death. Living in the aftermath is going to be an hour by hour struggle. Maybe that is how you are feeling today. You are asking yourself questions like: How can I keep getting up in the morning? Am I ever going to feel completely normal again? How will I ever survive this disease, divorce, loss…you can fill in the blank. It is during times like these, when I feel overwhelmed that I love to be reminded of God’s goodness and mercy.

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“16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,
18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NASB 1995)

We all know the reality. Our bodies will decay. In fact, everything that is physical will decay and fade away. No matter how strong we make buildings, how healthy our bodies are, or how much we clean up the ecosystems around us, they still will decay and return to the dust from which they came. This might leave you feeling like, what is the point? What is the point of trying to do better by exercising, eating right, taking care of our homes, or making better choices for the environment when in the end it makes no difference? The above verses give us a few answers to this question. Let’s look at each verse individually and see what encouragement we can glean from these Wonderful Words.

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Verse 16 - Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

We are instructed to not lose heart. Even though our physical bodies, and all the physical stuff around us is decaying and will fade away, we are reminded our inner man is being renewed all the time. Who or what is our inner man? Our inner man is the new creation Christ made us when we asked Him to be our Lord and Savior. This is the man that the Holy Spirit works with and on, as we die to the flesh and live to the Spirit. Renewal happens as we do away with those selfish, fleshly tendencies and learn to feed and grow the new man God is creating us to be. Renewal is dependent on our reading His word, praying, fellowshipping with other believers, and relying on Him more and more as we maneuver this life.

Verse 17 - For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.

It may not seem that what you are going through is light affliction. There is nothing light about suffering the death of a loved one, loss of a home or job, or dealing with a devastating diagnosis from the doctor. However, when we begin to see things with eternity in mind our perspective begins to change. We know we are going to have hardship, but this verse assures us that it is not without purpose. We are reminded that these times of suffering are producing an eternal weight. A weight of glory.

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Can you even begin to comprehend what a weight of glory is? How exactly do you weigh glory? Is it measured in pounds, stones or kilograms? It is not like we can put it on a physical scale, as glory is not a physical, measurable thing. Ah, but God. You know His ways are not our ways. His scales are not our scales. If He says we are going to have an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, I am going to have to trust Him. All of our affliction is productive and has a purpose.

Verse 18 - While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Simply put, the things which we see on a day to day basis are temporary. Our homes, our jobs, even our relationships are temporal. The word temporal is defined by Webster’s Online Dictionary as things that are of or relating to time, or things that are of or relating to earthly life. Anything that is temporal is also temporary.

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When we begin to change our focus from that which is temporal to that which is eternal, the struggles we go through will not have the same bite as they once did. Only those things done for eternity’s sake will last.

Going back to the idea of what is the point if it’s all just going the way of the dust bin anyway? The point is eternity. As we live in this world ruled by the clock, deadlines, dates, calendars, and other forms of measurement we need to make sure our focus is on eternity. Instead of asking God, when will this difficulty end I need to ask myself, how can I endure with eternity in mind and glorify Him.

Don’t lose heart, dear one! There is a purpose to every affliction you are going through. Decide today to go through the difficulties with the timelessness of eternity in your heart, and the question of how you can glorify Him, always on your mind.

His Purpose, My Benefit

Most of us go through life thinking we have some semblance of control over what is going on around us, but I am sure if we didn’t realize it before, we now realize we really don’t have control over anything other than ourselves. We may not even have much control over that, to our dismay. Let’s face it, we don’t control the weather, the traffic, the price of gas or groceries, or the reaction of the drivers in front or in back of us. As we have learned in the last few months we can’t control a virus like COVID-19, at least not yet. While it is true we have found cures, vaccines and preventatives for many diseases in the past, we do not have control over what disease will pop up in the future and wreak havoc on our world, just like COVID is doing now. Wouldn’t it be nice if life and our world came with a reset button? Just flip the switch and everything will be like new.

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“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ”

— Romans 8:28 (NASB)

The verse we are looking at today is a more well known verse in the Christian community. Even people who make no claim to Christ as their Savior understand that even bad things have a purpose and can bring about a greater good. Look at a natural disaster like a forest fire. The fire, while devastating in its initial claim on natural life, also serves as a catalyst for rebirth and growth. Some of you may know that certain pine cones only open to release their seeds during times of great heat, like that of a fire.

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Let’s take a closer look at the truth found in this single verse.

And we know…

It says that we know. Our knowing had to come from somewhere. Where did it come from? The knowledge talked about in this verse is knowledge given by God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We do not find this knowledge in a book, other than the Word of God and we will not find this knowledge in the most scholarly universities. We gain this knowledge as we sit in His presence.

“Cease striving and know that I am God;”

— Psalm 46:10(a) (NASB)

…that God…

I am choosing to give this two word phrase a place of its own because of the importance of this Being who is present. God is here. He is active. He is not just sitting around, He’s involved. His presence is with us through every trial, difficulty and trouble. You and I are never alone, when God is near.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

— Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

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…causes…

God is the one at work here. He is a God of action. His movements are not known to us, but they are done for us. This is not to blame God for all the terrible things that happen. There is the matter of sin and free will. However, God is able to take all of it, the good and the bad and move it, creating a new thing entirely.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

— Philippians 2:13 (NASB)

…all things…

Let me clarify this for you. The word all, means everything. There is not one thing that God is not aware of or involved in. The good, the bad and the ugly are all things, things that He is able to change into something else.

“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”

— Psalm 57:2 (NASB)

…to work together for good…

All these things that God is aware of and involved in; these things He is causing to work together for good. Like the raging flame blows its heat consuming the tree that bears the cone, is needed by that very same cone to reseed the forest, so too God uses the heat of the flames of difficulty to work for our good.

You might be wondering at this point, what is the good that He is working out, if our loved ones are gone and our jobs are forfeit? What is the good when our marriages crumble and our children walk away from all they’ve been taught? The good is His good. He uses those flames and that heat to bring new birth to our souls, if we but let Him do it.

“28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

— Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

…to those who love God…

This then becomes the most important question. Do we love Him? As Jesus asked Peter by the sea of Galilee, “Do you love me?” If we truly love Him, our lives will be consumed with His will and His good. We will see that He alone knows what is best and what is best is walking with Him, abiding with Him and tending His sheep.

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

— John 21:17 (NASB)

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…to those who are called according to His purpose.

What is this purpose we are called to? To be like Christ.

“15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

— 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB)

But not only that, it is our purpose to glorify Him.

“6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

— 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)

In addition it is our purpose to be obedient.

“16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)

God’s purpose is our benefit. To make us more like Christ, to honor and glorify Him is the greatest benefit we can receive.

Are You Adopted?

We are in a study of Roman’s chapter 8. The book of Romans is filled with so much of what we, as Christ followers, would call the foundational truths of our faith. It is in the book of Romans that we learn that all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We also learn that the cost of sin is death (Romans 6:23). In Romans 5:8 we are reminded that God loved us and provided the payment for sin through His son, Jesus Christ. Finally we learned that if we confess Jesus as Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead we will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). One other verse, Romans 10:13 is often included in this Roman Road to Salvation, because it shows the inclusivity of the gospel. “For whosoever calls on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.”

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The above verses spell out the gospel in a nut shell. Romans is not just the defining thesis on salvation, but it clearly conveys our standing and our struggle if we make that decision to follow Christ. If only life were a bed of fragrant roses after we accepted Christ as our Savior, but it is not. Life is a daily struggle with the flesh, not only our own, but with the ramifications of others’ struggles. Life is hard and often tromps on our minds, spirits and hearts like the first smashing waves of a tsunami on the coast line. All too often we are swept away in that wave, not knowing if we will ever reach the surface again to breath, let alone to be safe and dry.

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It is with that picture in mind that we come to today’s verses from Romans 8.

“14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
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 8:14-17 (NASB)

These verses deserve time to mull them over. My goal is to get through all of them in this post, but if it takes a second post, that is due to the importance of understanding these identity confirming verses to followers of the one we call Jesus.

Over the last few weeks we have identified two ways of walking: in the flesh, or in the Spirit. We have looked at three questions we need to answer: What realm are you in? Sin or righteousness? and Living or Dead? We have also been confronted with the idea that we are under no obligation to the flesh and, in fact, it is because of our flesh that we will see death. However, if we choose to live in the Spirit we will live. Today’s verses are perhaps four of the most profound verses in the Holy Scriptures. Let’s look at them piece by piece.

If we are lead by God, we are sons of God.

Wait! What? I am a son of God? Whoa! If I have accepted the truths of those salvation verses I shared above, I am seeking Him and choosing to live in the Spirit, I am a son, or in my case, daughter, of God. I…absolutely…love…that! If you, like me, regularly struggle with feeling like you are worth something and constantly battle feelings of inadequacy, these verses are for you. You and I are daughters of the King of Kings. How cool is that?

We are not slaves.

Did you get that? Say that to yourself three times with the emphasis on the bolded word or phrase.

“I am not a slave!”

“I am not a slave!”

“I am not a slave!”

That five word phrase identifies three things. It identifies who…that’s you and me. It identifies a state of being…am not and it identifies what…a slave.

Most of us have had enough history classes to understand the terrible consequences of slavery. Our country went to war within its own borders, at least in part, over slavery. The idea that slavery leads to a spirit of fear is obvious. No man or woman should be enslaved and telling ourselves that it is no longer an issue in our world is like being an ostrich with our heads buried deeply in a sand dune. Did you know that ostriches don’t actually bury their heads in the sand? When they feel threatened they will flop to the ground with their heads and necks stretched out close to the dirt so they blend in. I’m sure there is a spiritual analogy in that picture, but we will save that for another day.

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We do not have to fear.

What exactly does Paul mean in verse 15 when he says, “…For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again”? If you have done any reading or study of the Old Testament, then you know there was a underlying current of fear in almost every scenario. These people were given the law and expected by a Holy God to adhere to it. The consequence of disobedience was often death. In addition, the chosen people of God were fearful, not trusting in His purpose and plan, but more often in a state of panic and disbelief. Sounds a lot like us, doesn’t it?

The idea, Paul is trying to get across is, we are not slaves. We do not have to answer to an unjust master, but to a loving, caring Creator, one who calls us His sons and daughters.

We have been adopted.

This is the amazing part. God has adopted us. I have never had the desire to adopt a child, but many people do have that desire. What always amazes me are the people who adopt children with special needs, like autism, crack babies or severe disabilities. What a beautiful example of how God deals with us, with all of our sins and shortcomings. He wants us to be His. Just like a couple adopts a child to give that child the best chance at life and to share the boundless love they have for a family, in the same way, God has adopted us, to share His precious and magnificent promises with us and to give us a more abundant life.

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We call Him, Abba! Father!

The natural extension of adoption is the identification of the child to the adoptive parents as his parents and the identification of the parents to the child as their child. When the adoption papers are signed, hopefully, the parents now consider that child their own, as if they had given birth to them. There may be a time of adjustment, but hopefully the child, as well, will begin to feel comfortable calling their new parents, mom and dad. If God is willing to call us His sons and daughters, then shouldn’t we feel comfortable calling Him our Father?

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The term abba is an Aramaic word that both Jesus and Paul used to refer to God. It invokes a personal and intimate knowledge. I really like that idea. Think about the ways we refer to our own dads. I always called my father, dad, but I know others use the terms daddy, pa or pops. It is rare for a child to call their parent father or to call them by their first name. The point Paul is making by using this term is the desire on God’s part that we have an intimate and personal relationship with Him.

I am going to bring this to a close for this week, so that these ideas can sink in. You are valuable. You are a daughter of God. You can call Him, Abba!

See you next week.

Our Great and Mighty Purpose

Do you ever struggle with your purpose? Do you ever feel as though the things you do are meaningless? Do you ever feel invisible? I do! I have struggled most of my life with feeling less than whole. I have too often been swayed by other's opinions of how I look, how I act or react and what my value is. Being a Christian does not eliminate the struggles, but it does put them in their proper perspective. 

You see, we are all sinners. We all fall short. 

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

— Romans 3:23 (NASB)

However, the blood of Christ made it possible that I can now have a relationship with God and with His Son. What does that mean for my purpose? It makes all the difference. 

“A Christian worker has to learn how to be God’s man or woman of great worth and excellence in the midst of a multitude of meager and worthless things.”

— Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - October 25th

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Life is full of worthless and meager tasks. Cleaning toilets, doing laundry and mopping the kitchen floor all too often seem worthless. You know the cycle. Just when you get those dishes washed, another stack of bowls and spoons appear. Both our daughters are out of the house, so I am not quite sure how we use so many spoons. Ha, ha. Don't forget laundry. When the girls were growing up I made up a creature called the laundry monster and had a song that I sang when I saw him rearing his ugly head, Now that they are out of the house he is not as prominent, but those loads add up. And the cycle continues over and over and over. 

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If you have a job outside the home, it too can become seemingly worthless and meager. If you work retail like I do, the hours can be long, when the days are slow and the customers can be less than thankful when the days are busy. And the cycle continues over and over and over.

So how do we become those men and women of great worth and excellence as Oswald says? I think there are a few things we need to consider to realize our great and mighty purpose.

1. We are all human. There are very few of us who don't have to do dishes, laundry, take care of kids or aging family, meet the needs of a significant other or do some sort of work that wouldn't necessarily be considered fun. Obviously, there are wealthy people who can hire others to do many of those meager tasks, but they still have to bathe and groom themselves or at least wipe their own behinds when they go to the bathroom; a task that is not worth a lot, but we all do it or the world would be a pretty stinky place. 

2. We all start out ordinary. No one starts out as a movie star or the president of a company or a football player who gets paid millions whether he stands, sits or kneels. 

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“All God’s people are ordinary people who have been made extraordinary by the purpose He has given them. ”

— Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - October 25th

I love this thought, because not only does it put us all on the same playing field, but it also reminds me that God is in control. If you are a mom, God put you there. If you are a corporate VP, God put you there. If you are a missionary to a foreign country, God put you there. We must come to grips with this idea that God allows the good, the bad and the mundane. 

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

— Roman's 8:28 (NASB)

3. God is always at work. God's purpose in our lives is to make us into the image of Christ. He desires that we draw closer and closer to Him. What better way to do that than to put us in circumstances that move us closer to being what He wants us to be. 

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“It is not that you have gotten God, but that He has gotten you. God is at work bending, breaking, molding, and doing exactly as He chooses. And why is He doing it? He is doing it for only one purpose - that He may be able to say, ‘This is My man, and this is My woman.’””

— Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - 0ctober 25th

4. Our great and mighty purpose is to glorify Him. Paul knew this was the case when he was transformed from a hater and persecutor of Christians to being one of the greatest evangelists that ever lived. 

“ ...I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.”

— I Corinthians 9:22-23 (NASB)

It doesn't matter where you are or what you do, your purpose is to glorify Him. How do we glorify God? We glorify Him when our actions, words and attitudes reflect the humility and love of Christ. 

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

— Philippians 2:1-11 (NASB)

Wash that load of a laundry with a song in your heart. Change that baby's diaper with thanksgiving. Deal with that cantankerous customer with kindness. Write, walk, work, love, play to the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

This is our great and mighty purpose.